Cafe Claussen
by Angelblaze2007
Summary: Jack's got abusive, alcohol addicted parents, a little sister to take care of and doesn't want to get the police or anyone else involved in their situation...but he sure as hell doesn't want to be there. So he temporarily runs away to a place called Cafe Claussen. And meets an attractive man afflicted with light Argyria named Kosmotis Pitchiner Warnings Inside on chapter 1.
1. Prologue

_**Warning: Following story contains or could possibly contain the following.**_

_**Alcohol Abuse, Child abuse, underage sex, underage 'making out', public intimacy, implied stalking, implied rape (M/M), major character death, angst, Whump, anal sex, oral sex, masturbation, cursing, Spousal Abuse, violence, overly extended slice of life, varying chapter lengths, too many ice puns, implied suicide attempt, stalking, Good character turned Evil, Evil character turned good, near Adult Jack, near Adult Jamie, Young Adult Pitch, teenage Sophie, murder, implied voyeurism, obsession and possession kink, and food porn. **_

_**Note that these warnings can change with updates and changes to the story. You have been warned.**_

_**A few pre-story notes of things I've changed from the story, in case anyone has a problem with changes: **_

_**Jack is 17. His birthday is **__**December 21 in story, the day of the 1996 winter solstice. He has his normal white hair and height, but he is human. Everyone in the story is (questionably)  
**_

_**Mary, Jack's little sister, is 8. **_

_**Jack's Father is William Frost (39). **_

_**Jack's mother is Katherine Frost (37).**_

_**Pitch is 23 or so...**_

_**The children from the original movie/book series are around/at Jack's age.**_

_**Note: I do not own Rise of the Guardians. If you see any errors, let me know by pming me so I can fix them.**_

* * *

Jackson Overland Frost, aka 'Jack Frost' as he was known in his immediate community was your average happy-go-lucky kid with a bonus sense of happy, enthusiastic fun and joy that no one seemed to be able to snuff out of him. All of his friends enjoyed his cheerful company and the snowball fights and games of tag that he caused both on and outside of school were legendarily fun, especially in the winter months when his special and unique untouched snow-like hair would blend in with the nearby environment and give him the advantage in his ice-based battles – just another thing that helped him get his nickname.

There was not a single man, woman or child in the entire town of Burgess that had a real, decent reason to hate him nor a want to. He was almost like a guardian of joy and happiness for his neighbors and family members with not a single bit of anger, sadness or negativity on his being...outside of the four walls of his home at least.

Nor was there a single family that had any grudge or spite towards them, in fact a good majority of the parents and children in the town loved them dearly to an almost envious degree of how happy and 'well put together' they looked. Often times they would go down to the local candy store – a place Jack remembered hearing 'Maple Leaf Rag' played to an annoying level of repetition – buying treats like lollipops and ice cream for all the children and then, with their other parent's permissions, took them out to the nearby park so Jack could play with them, usually tags and snowball fights.

Behind the closed doors of the 'Frost' home was where it became clear that it was all just a mask, a mirage meant to block out the bittersweet feelings that encompassed the often unstable and less then peaceful home of three that later became four with the new addition of Jack's happy and wide eyed little sister Mary.

Jack's parents, Katherine and Will, seemed to be the perfectly picturesque family in public gatherings but when outside eyes looked away they seemed to morph into something twisted and hateful. Will Frost had a crippling alcohol addiction that spanned for years – ever since Jack was around nine years of age. At first it had been just a drink here, a drink there. A little more then the average person but nothing to really worry about, plus his father was a 'happy' drunk so at first it just seemed like his father really didn't have a problem. Then it just suddenly spiraled wildly out of control around the time Jack was twelve – and got a million times worse.

Will would have sudden and unpredictable mood swings ranging from absolute rage that had him raising his voice and screaming at his wife and children – getting into arguments with Katherine until they all cried and locked themselves in a room to escape from his inebriated wrath only to come crawling back to that very same door with tears running down his face begging for forgiveness, swearing that 'this was the last time' and that he would stop, that he wouldn't allow another drop of alcohol to pass through his lips and for a short time he would actually keep to his promise and things would become normal. He would return to being incredibly nice and polite, he even gave his children little snow based names – something the he didn't do before. He'd call Mary his little snowflake and Jack by his nick name, 'Jack Frost'. It was nice...

At first, Jack thought it was good and that it was over. They could go back to what life was like when he was nine...but then it happened again.

And again...

and again.

He would make the same promise every other week, terrifying his wife and children in his drunken state with angered gibberish and balled fists that punched the drywall and left large holes in its wake to then crawl back to the door of what Jack eventually began calling the 'Safety Room' to beg for them to come out so they could talk and fix things...mercy and forgiveness that was always given, though the promised trade for it was never fully completed and he would always be back the next two weeks, emotions up, down and unpredictable like a crashing wave and rolling tides.

Until mom actually started drinking along with him around the time Jack was thirteen. While Jack didn't know why she suddenly started drinking, he couldn't find the heart or reason to blame her. He would come home from school and find both his mother and father absolutely smashed on the couch, laughing loudly, watching dumb and uninspired comedies on T.V., not quite doing their 'parental duties' like he figured most parents should and being a bit too obnoxious for his tastes...but as long as they weren't in fear of each other and Mary could actually be around them without needing to hide in a cupboard or under the bed during fights, he figured it was all okay. Jack was fine being relegated to the role of guardian for his little sister if it meant they got a little peace and quiet away from the fighting.

And at times, they would stop drinking altogether. Not for a constant and longstanding amount of time, closer to every three weeks he would be lucky enough to have a full week of no boozed up parents, but it was enough...and it was nice. Things would temporarily return to 'normal' for the first time in years for Jack – every three weeks or so. Even then, it was a little scary how his parents could go from drunken, argumentative morons for a good twenty-one days to absolutely picture perfect. Worse still: they could hide their drunkenness in public extremely well. How they got that much liquor into the house without attracting in the attention of even the peskiest, noisiest neighbor was a complete mystery to Jack but he didn't have much time to wonder about that because after two years of that pattern things went back to a previous, worse version of normal.

His father became belligerent and angry again and even his drunk mother – who seemed to calm and still his rage – wouldn't be able to calm him out of. They got into large arguments that sometimes even scraped the surface of physical violence with Will picking up and throwing furniture at the walls in a berserk state that no one could pull him out of...but eventually Jack was used to it.

He would calmly, blankly, barefacedly pick his sister up and carry her into his room, usually walking right past his brawling, inattentive mother and father to enter his little sister's room and retrieve a few toys for her so she wouldn't be bored for the next few hours then walk right back out, sometimes preemptively dodging a flying piece of furniture and going back into his room, locking the door and placing her in a corner to play with her dolls so he could focus on his work.

It eventually became a rhythm to him to the point where he would just keep her favorite toys and dolls in his room. He figured that was okay because he was getting used to it and he was fine with it but he saw something at around sixteen that began making his heart break...

Mary was seven by now...and one Thursday Jack swore he could actually smell the upcoming brawl in the air and stood up from his place in the middle of the bed, planning on getting Mary only to open the door and see her already standing there with an unreadable look on her face as she walked right past him without saying a word and sat in the corner opposite the door, beginning to play with her dolls.

As if she was _used to it._

Jack was okay with he _himself_ being used to it...but seeing his own little sister, his own _seven year old _sister actually having the routine of 'Mommy and Daddy drunkenly are screaming at each other to get out and things are getting thrown around' down pat, made something inside of him well up...and he grabbed her up into his arms and held her tight, dancing around with her in his arms as he came to realize it all. He held back his tears and that day, made sure to make her laugh like a crazed man as much as possible and cooked her something delicious for dinner while their parents slept off their booze.

His little sister didn't deserve to be here. She deserved a stable home...something that not even Jack could give her.

And so he swore that he would always take extra care of her.

Always.

He tried to keep a delicate balance between his school life, his parents and being the main guardian of his little sister...and try to sleep, eat right and get a little time for himself which was, and still is, easier said then done. His grades slipped from straight A's to mixed A's and B's, then to solid B minuses that he could keep under control, he went from getting eight full hours of sleep a night to six since someone needed to wake up early and get Mary to and from school and his parents certainly weren't going to, he lost a very dangerous amount of weight and was as thin as a piece of string to the point where he wore sweatshirts and sagging jeans just so people wouldn't notice..but he kept on doing it in hopes of making the house at least a little better for Mary's sake.

Even as he began to feel like he just couldn't anymore and began going as far as to sleep during the lunch breaks at school just to catch a little more rest, he kept on trying and trying to make life better for his younger sister as their parents kept zig-zagging from sober to drunk to angry to depressed to happy and back again.

He kept up appearances with friends and neighbors, always bringing up his best smile and shaking his head if people asked him if anything wrong was happening, always using his charisma to escape from giving explanations for his previously upset faces. _'I was just thinking about something else...' 'Just a little tired is all, are you alright?'_. Always changing the subject even though a part of him wanted someone to know: _'No. No. I'm not alright. I need help. My father needs help._ My entire family needs help.' He wanted something to change at home without him needing any police or child services that would more then likely tear his family apart but nothing worked...and so he just did what he could to make sure no one knew that the Frost family's house was usually stinking of booze when no one was over.

But things weren't all bad for him...he still had his absolute best friend who somewhat white-knuckled through it with him without seeing it, Jamie Bennett. At first sight, Jamie was just a local kid who really didn't have much going for him besides his youth and perhaps slightly baby-faced cute looks but when Jack got to know him around the age of eight, it was obvious that there was much more to Jamie then what met the eye.

He was sweet, gentle, polite, extremely morally reasonable compared to many of the kids around him, he only spoke when he knew what he was talking about, he was quick to catch on and even quicker to react and most of all: viciously loyal to a near violent degree to anyone he deeply respected, even if he hated that person.

After seven years of knowing him, going to the same school as him, and generally sharing a profound amount of personal space with him Jack found himself moderately feeling...attracted to Jamie for lack of a better word. He never got the same floaty feeling around girls as he got while he was with Jamie and instead while spending time with girls on dates in short lived relationships, he would often think curiously of what it would be like to actually be romantically involved with his long-time best friend and wondered if it was a mutual thing – or if it would even happen since, as hilariously strange as it was with Jack's charisma actually being more effective on girls then Jamie's, the brown haired young man was usually the one to push girls onto Jack to an almost forceful degree.

_'Jack, seriously. Look at her, isn't she cute?'_

_'I don't really like her Jamie-'_

_'You should at least try man...'_

_'I know I just haven't found the right one yet...'_ Jack would always lie before Jamie basically shoved women onto him – he thought the right one for him was Jamie but he never spoke much about it.

It didn't last long. He and Jamie were alone one day, in that quick shuffle between classes when Jamie actually was the first one to initiate things between them, pulling Jack aside and near interrogating him about things rather straight forwardly.

_'Jack you've been giving me weird looks.'_

_'Well you're weird looking.'_ Jack poked his tongue out in jest before Jamie rolled his eyes and impatiently, rudely yanked him into an abandoned classroom.

_'That's not what I mean Jack. You know that-'_

_'No I honestly don't.'_

_'You've been staring at me.'_

_'You're weird looking.'_ Jack repeated with a shrug before Jamie pushed him up against the door of the classroom, body suddenly close to the point where Jack could actually feel the other man's heartbeat through the thin fabric.

_'Jack.'_ Jamie looked him straight in the eye with a dead-serious look on his face, Jack straightaway knowing he was unable to hide his thoughts anymore from Jamie's sight. _'Do you want this?'_

_'….Yes.'_ Jack whispered quickly and quietly in a partly ashamed admittance, not getting any time to react before Jamie's lips were pressed against his, moving slowly and passionately. Jack moved back against his and for a moment the world seemed to shift on its side and he was falling – in the best way possible.

He was falling for Jamie.

As soon as it started, it stopped. Jamie pulled away with a blank face and gripped Jack's arm with a painful amount of strength before he forced him away from the door and walked through it, abandoning a confused white-haired, love struck boy in the center of the abandoned classroom. Although nothing was said again of that Jack couldn't help but get the vibe that Jamie wasn't impressed – that he didn't like what he got from Jack and then deemed him somewhat unworthy of a romantic relationship.

Jack and Jamie stayed friends, which Jack thought was almost awkward enough to merit him actually wanting to be home during the short amount of time they spent together. No more physical contact – not even friendly hugs was shared between them. _'Too much awkward footing...'_ Jack thought as he and Jamie wordlessly walked side by side to their classes – most of which they shared.

Nothing more came of the relationship aside from occasional conversation and Jack slowly came to see the fact that he lost his best friend with his want of romance...and so he stopped trying – Jamie generally didn't shove women onto his lip anymore and Jack had and still has no reason to go chasing after girls, feeling no real attraction to them. The only girl he could see himself actually wanting to spend time with was Mary.

After reasoning that it was his own fault that Jamie was pushed away, he didn't find the drive to even make any new friends or be polite. Instead he spoke his mind more when people approached him for conversation, spoke more crassly and openly with little regard for other people's feelings since with Jamie he couldn't even hide them, so why hide them from the rest of the world? It's not like he _had_ to impress anyone – he just had to take care of Mary, she was the only thing that mattered in the world to him.

But, the more crass and outspoken he became the more people began to somewhat distance themselves – as if sensing the change and not wanting to be part of it. None of them felt any differently about Jack, he was still the awesome neighbor kid with the 'cool' nickname but they couldn't help but pull away, almost fearfully wondering what changed him.

By the middle of his seventeenth year, he found that he was strangely okay with his life revolving around his little sister, his position as her new father and few friends to speak of – with only Jamie really coming to mind when he thought of the list of friends he really spent time with. He was also okay with his stress becoming part of his drive – and often becoming the punching bag in his mother's place when his father began his tantrums again.

He didn't have any friends, he didn't want any girls or sexual needs, at most what he needed was a brief relive from his father. He stopped caring about everything that wasn't Mary's protection, her safety, her happiness, anything that wasn't Mary related took the backseat to everything else. There were times Jack would reach the end of his tether with his parents and leave out of anger from their disgusting and less then responsible behavior, he'd leave and he'd go someplace – anywhere that was really out of the house and closer to people – so he could collect himself and re-focus on Mary.

He was technically her father now.

He was fine with that.

He kept on.


	2. A Little Drop of Poison

Jack didn't usually get days that were abnormally bad and stood out from the rest, especially not with his incredibly dysfunctional parents that only operated as couch warmers and noise makers – usually depending on what hour of the day it was and however much booze they had consumed. But today was different, today was a _special_ day that might as well have been marked out on the calender as being particularly horrible.

First it began on the worst foot forward possible even if it had a bit of a positive note and upside to it. The alarm clock randomly decided to break, which Jack thought was actually rather comical since his first thought would be that his parents used it as a ranged weapon in a fight but it didn't have a dent on it, it just indiscriminately broke and so he didn't wake up in time to get Mary to her own school on time. Instead she was late, something that Jack took personal responsibility for as he walked his beloved little sister to her grade school.

The positive note of that being that he got to be woken up by his little sister and they got to spend time together before his parents awoke from their slumber. They quickly and quietly made themselves some delicious breakfast (strawberry jellied toast and scrambled eggs for Mary, just toast for him since he didn't like eggs very much nor had he the time needed to make more) while they got ready for their school days.

But that was about the last positive thing that happened. The rest of the day was hell was him being late to school, forgetting his lunch and having to buy school lunch with the small, meager amount of money he was able to pilfer from his parents' room and eventually getting a stomach ache that made him feel as if he was just going to vomit and pass out at any given time – though him being him and having special appearances he felt as if he was required to maintain, he wore it with a smile and didn't complain aloud. However, the jewel in the crown was receiving back a test he didn't even remember taking and being told that he _failed_ it big time and would have to do it again...

After having it signed by his parents.

'Great.' Jack whispered sardonically under his breath and unceremoniously stuffed the paper into his backpack, hoping that this would be a 'Peace Week' when his parents actually stopped drinking for a moment and actually responded to things like rational adults...

Needless to say, after picking Mary up from school and bringing her home this wasn't the case at all. Instead his parents were drunk out of their minds having a 'mini-argument' as Jack liked to call the smaller and more peaceful confrontations. He would need to have it signed by tomorrow though, if he wanted to re-take the test or have his grade in History drop from a B to a C.

A 'C' would just piss his parents off more, he knew...it'd be better to get them angry now and have it fixed now rather then wait and let the problem worsen over time.

He walked Mary into his room upstairs so she'd be far away from any danger should something unexpected happen and asked her to do her homework here while Jack tried to somehow talk to Will and Katherine and get them to do this.

"Jack." Mary's eyes were large and puffy, with her nose and cheeks becoming a light shade of saddening red as she looked up at him. Jack felt his heart give an upset lurch as he looked down to find her grabbing his hand and clinging to it, looking so afraid and upset for him. "Be careful okay?"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Mom is usually the one to go to with these things." That much was true, Jack's mother wasn't like his father at all. She wasn't an angry drinking addict so much as she needed the escapism and mindlessness that a full bottle of beer could bring. She wasn't even violent when she was drunk, she was usually rather loud and giggly, making crude jokes and less then polite conversation but never like father was during certain points in the day. Jack could actually empathize with her need, he'd make himself unable to emotionally feel or remember anything too if he could.

It didn't soothe Mary's nerves and she sniffled lightly and gave him one last look of 'Please don't go' before Jack shook his head and gave her a sad smile, his signal for 'it can't be helped'. After a few brief moments Mary's hands dropped to he sides and she resigned herself to the opposite corner of the room to do her math homework.

If it was up to Jack he wouldn't have to do this but his current situation really didn't give him much choice in the matter of it. He took a deep breath, said a little prayer in his heart and walked out of his room with paper in hand and into the living room where his parents' argument had been quelled by a well timed joke from Katherine. That served to soothe his nerves a little more.

"Hey ummm Mom?" Jack's voice was unsure and cautious as he tested the waters, seeing if he could scale how much he could say and do until things would descend into chaos. It was always a balancing act around his Dad...

"Yes sweetie?" Even when his mother was the one looking at him, he was acutely aware of his father's presence and every last move that he made while Jack came up with what to say to the point where the slightest shift in weight that occurred on the couch would make him jump, the white-haired child nearly had a heart attack when his father reached for the remote to change the channel.

"I need you to sign something for school." He said, calmly and slowly approaching the sofa as if the other occupant was a sleeping lion...and as soon as Jack thought of that comparison he couldn't help but think that it was so _befitting_. It felt like an eternity before he actually handed the paper to his mother, who gave him a small look of sympathy. She knew he was on pins and needles to not incur his father's wrath.

"Alright, I'll sign it..." She speedily reached around for something to write with and finding none, made the biggest mistake bar none that Jack believed she could have possibly made in that moment – she put the paper down, on the table in front of both her and Will, face up and close enough to read. It was a half second after the fact that she realized what she just did but she couldn't pick up the paper and take it with her now...

Will was reading it.

Both mother and son were stuck on the spot, trying to read his facial expression and figure out just exactly how they were going to worm their way out of this one.

After about twenty seconds of look and waiting, they realized there _wasn't_ anyway to worm their way out.

His face scrunched up and he raised his voice. "What the hell is this?"

Jack took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself before the storm really hit. "I just failed a test. It was only by a few points, if one of you signs it then I can take it again and pass it this time." Jack worded it as carefully as possible as not to heighten his father's rage anymore than necessary but the way his father looked at him assured him he wasn't getting off that easy...

Katherine carefully stepped in. "I'm sure he can pass it this time, if we sign it now and he studies then he'll definitely ace it right?" Much more chipper and happy then what was believable, with more fake smiles and cheerfulness then your most stressed out but work dedicated Kindergarten teacher could provide.

"Right!" Jack mirrored her and faked to be all smiles too, trying not to make his father too upset.

"Well why didn't you study and pass it the first time?" Will's voice was dangerously low, growling deep with spite and belligerence.

"I had a lot of tests alongside that one. I got great marks on all of those. Math, Biology, Honors classes, Art...just a lot of stuff to prepare for at once is all." 'Especially when playing Dad to Mary, something you could never actually do.' Jack mentally added but stayed quiet after saying what he considered to be his counter argument.

"Even biology? Good job sport..." Katherine ruffled his hair happily, doing a good impression of a woman who wasn't despairingly faking happiness in order to avoid a potential fight. "I know how hard that can be."

"He never had a problem with grades before..." His father's eyes narrow towards him and Jack swore he could feel a chill in the depths of his soul. "What's changed?"

"I just have a little more responsibility with Mary."

"Her school isn't any more then a five minute walk from where yours is."

"I get her ready in the morning and cook her breakfast too." Jack nervously shuffled in place, already knowing that he was going to get something...

"Bullshit!" His father got up quicker then Jack thought possible considering his alcohol consumption habits, nearly pushing his mother over in his rush to get to him and just as Jack realized what he was doing it was already too late.

Will lifted him off of his feet by the throat part of his navy blue and red t-shirt, hoisting him off the ground and pulling them face to face with each other. Jack could smell the beverage on his breath and nearly gagged from the combining forces of the breath and suddenly being pulled up off the ground like a rag doll. "You were out with some girl weren't you?!"

"What?" Katherine said with a light chuckle, still trying to act as if they could get through this without having a fight. Jack pitied her. "Honey, that's absurd."

"I don't trust this little fuck up half as far as I can throw him." He said with a sneer towards his now frowning wife, who threw a half second look of apology and pity towards her mid-air son. "Who were you with?"

"Dad I have no idea what your eve-"

"It was that slut next door, Pippa wasn't it?" He added a light shake to his words and a near-snarl to the end of his question. "Fucking answer me!"

"Dad I-" Jack couldn't finish his sentence before he was literally thrown downwards onto the floor, meeting it near face first had it not been for the fact that his hands were ready to help him up.

"Fucking little waste of my goddamn time."

"Honey please!" Katherine stepped in only to get violently pushed away, nearly slamming her head into the wooden armrest of the couch before backing away carefully, knowing that trying to step in would only anger him more and mouthing words to Jack with tears in her eyes. 'I'm sorry', 'I'm so sorry'.

Jack wanted to tell her it'd be alright but before he could say anything he got a fierce, powerful kick in the stomach that reverberated throughout the entirety of his body, as if he was going to throw up the entire contents of his stomach and a few organs. He curled up into a ball around the point of impact and let out a small whimper of pain before his father kicked him- with a bit less force this time – on his lower back.

"Little piece of shit..." His father spoke down on him and pressed his foot up against Jack's lower torso, slowly pressing down with increasing force. "We don't need you fucking running around screwing about li-"

"We don't need your drinking either." Jack groaned, trying to wriggle his way away from his father before realizing he spoke out loud...and his father stopped trying to crush his internal organs like he was a bug. A long and fragile silence spread throughout the room and even Katherine was awestricken by the sudden outburst of words.

Jack hated the noise when his parents fought but he hated this sudden level of silence more – he knew nothing good could come of what he just said.

"What did you just say to me?" Will hovered dangerously over him, kneeling with next to the fallen child with a look of crazed anger in his eyes, strangely and terrifyingly patient in waiting for an answer when Jack refused to immediately speak and instead wrapped himself into a tighter ball of his own limbs. "I said..." Jack was suddenly pulled up by his hair and he let out a moan of pain from the sudden pull and tug of his father's hand along with the slow tearing of his hair from his scalp. "_What_ did you just say to me?"

Jack searched his father's face for mercy – not expectant to find any but still clinging to the brief hope that maybe he could find _something_. But nothing could be found and after a few seconds Jack opened his mouth and spoke again. "I said...that we didn't need your drinking either..."

Will ground his teeth in his mouth before slowly releasing his son's hair and letting his tightened lips widen into a smile that became a hint of laughter. "That's cute you know...really cute." There was something insane and unstable in his voice as he fully raised himself from his knelt position. Jack didn't dare look up. "You know what Jackson?"

'Jackson.' Jack mulled over that name, he was only called that when he was in serious trouble with either his mother or his sorry excuse of a father. He prepared himself for a flurry of blows to his body – keeping his face hidden by his arms and trying to take a few deep breaths to help himself prepare.

Not enough time.

"If you don't-" A kick directly to his stomach, bypassing the meager defense of his other limbs. "_**fucking"**_ And another that had Jack coughing and gasping "_need me"_ one last one for good measure had Jack heaving onto the carpet, trying to keep down bile rising in his throat while his father turned away. "Then you can _get the fuck out of my house."_

"Sweetie ple-"Katherine tried to help him, she really did, but Will got into her face and pushed her up against the wall in his anger and she was rendered powerless in the situation – assuming she had any at all.

"And that goes double for you and that worthless little dumbass brat in his room-"

Jack's eyes teared up at that moment, not able to listen to anymore even while he was doubled over in agony. He felt disgusted, angered and wronged – not just by his father's mistreatment of both of them but by his sheer ignorance of it. It was if he thought beating his wife and children was something to be proud of like it was a goddamn achievement. The young light haired boy struggled and got up, aching pain deep in his chest not allowing him to stand up straight or walk very fast, but he didn't need to go quite a ways away...yet.

"Where the hell do you think your going?" Will whirled around and started to approach Jack again...and his son just couldn't take anymore of his goddamn treatment at this point.

"I'm going _wherever the __**fucking hell I want.**_" Jack yelled at the top of his bruised lungs and took a deep breath to help steady himself as his vision spun and nearly faded, even as the room went eerily quiet once more he couldn't find the heart or the energy to even continue dealing with Will.

He really was at the end of his tether...he climbed up the steps, pushed the door open and forced himself inside before slamming the door behind him, making Mary jump and look at the door with a worried face, probably thinking he was father...and at that thought he immediately changed his entire facial expression and way of standing.

"Don't worry, keep on during your work..." By sheer force of will Jack forced himself to straighten up and walk right as best as he could as the pain dulled lightly – whether due to his organs beginning the deadly process of shutting down or just his body fixing the damage he wasn't sure, and with what just came about in the living room he wasn't sure of which one to hope for...

Mary nodded slowly and got back to work. Her fears weren't suppressed or hidden away that well, Jack knew that much, but the least he could do was encourage her and make sure she kept on getting good grades and being happy at least a majority of the time.

–

It was a good two hours post the fight and Mary finished her work about an hour and thirty minutes ago...it was rounding around 5:30 with the orange dusk light of mid-to-late September winter shining through the single near triangular window that sat in the middle of the wall opposite his bed...and he just couldn't take anymore...and he was glad Mary was safe in her own room, away from him right now.

He didn't want to leave Mary in here all alone with Will, he knew that for sure but at the same time he needed to get away...involving the police was too big a jump, child services would just rip the tiny glimmer of what was really left of their family apart, non-parental relatives lived miles away and he couldn't think of a single neighbor or nearby friend that he would feel comfortable leaving Mary with...with the exception of his mother.

He know one thing though: he needed to get out of the house, clear his head of his thoughts and get a fresh mental start. Then things would fall into place – hopefully. He gathered a fraction of the meager amount of cash that he would get during the 'Non-drinking' periods for doing chores around the house that had luckily built up to about seventy dollars in the past few months.

'Ten bucks. Better make it count...' He pocketed his money and lifted open the window, jumping out and gunning it across the backyard lawn and into the nearby sidewalk, heading towards his school where the real 'hustle and bustle' of the town was. He loved getting out of the house for something aside from school but as of late he just couldn't find a good enough reason to get him away from his parents.

This time he didn't need one. He smiled to himself as he shoved his hands into the large pouch of his bright blue hoodie and strode down the block with a happy bounce in his stride. He felt like he was king of the world when he was outside the house – so happy and free and away from the troubles of his parents, away from having to care for his litt-

He stopped himself there, already knowing that that train of thought would have him running back home to check on her, make sure she was alright. In an attempt to escape from his own thoughts he looked around quickly, first to his left, across the street, where he saw a strangely empty lot that stuck out along the line of businesses – why did part of him remember a candy store being th- '_NO._ NO NO NO.' He quickly ducked inside a nearby cafe to his right – 'Cafe Claussen' - and thought about ordering a coffee or something...only to frown in self pity. He didn't even remember the last time he had gone out or the last time he brought something for himself. Even though he had a bunch of money saved up, each every cent he spent went towards Mar-

'Nope. Not going there.' He promptly searched for a nearby booth and sat across from the least talkative looking person in the establishment, someone with a book pressed closely to his face and appeared to be wearing some rather skin-tight looking gray gloves. It was the best one he could find with every other booth having chatty and annoying teens just blabbing away on cell phones, complaining about both schoolwork, their jobs and their 'asshole parents'.

Half of them didn't even have a clue or an idea of what Jack was going through and he mentally growled, wondering if even one person among them had any idea of how lucky they were. They didn't have to leave their home in fear or sneak out, they didn't have a father that would beat their mother right in front of their little si-

"Hey, is this seat taken?" Jack asked despite already being seated in it. He needed a distraction while he waited for the waiter to notice he was glancing at the menu – remembering that the last time he was here back in his earlier years with his family the waiters were very attentive to thi- 'NO MORE REMEMBERING'. He shook the memories out of his head and tried to get the other occupant's attention by gently brushing his foot up against his leg.

It worked and the man looked up, shutting his book closed with a louder then normal slam and giving Jack a look as if he wanted to murder him.

Jack was actually more concerned about the color of the man's skin – it was distastefully gray...and he realized that the man wasn't wearing gray gloves. Those were his _actual_ hands. Jack mentally put two and two together and fear the first few layers of uncanny fear melt off of him.

"No. The seat is _not_ taken." He hissed from gritted teeth and glared the young man down with rage in his eyes. "Why do you want to annoy me in particu-"

"Argyria?" Jack asked casually, shrugging off the maddened tone and comments as if they were nothing special, though in his eyes when another person's insults were compared to his father's, they really weren't.

"...What?"

"Your skin. Argyria? It's silv-"

"I know. Silver poisoning. It's just not many people your age know what it is." The man looked like he was honestly shocked at Jack showing above average intelligence. Jack felt a little bit better about himself.

"Let me guess, a lot of young kids run up to you and tease you about it?"

"No people just generally take out their phones and take pictures like I'm a different type of human being, ask me what race I am – and yes they are mostly actually serious and not being pricks." The sound of stupor was replaced with the sound of deadpanned humor and Jack found himself smiling. "Including people older then myself." The latter part of that sentence was whispered with an air of disappointment.

"You really don't look that old...that's not a good thing." Jack smirked and looked at the people around him.

"I'm in my early twenties too." Poker-faced, dark humor that berated the people around him for lack of intelligence or knowledge seemed to be this guys specialty...and Jack didn't mind it at all.

"Oh that's not a good thing at all." Jack said with more mirth in his voice then what should be morally acceptable considering the subject matter. "Even though Wikipedia exists?"

"Yup." The man said despairingly with the tiniest ghost of a smirk on his face.

"Ohhh dear..." He tapped his lower lip gently with the end of the menu on his lips and shook his head lightly before glancing over it. After a few brief moments of looking through the menu without any of the barista seeming to notice him sitting there without a drink he tried to talk with the man again. "Hey, have you ever looked at the people around you and just thought...'Wow. I'm ashamed'?'

"Having that moment right now." The stranger smirked and leaned in a bit closer to Jack before whispering, "The girl sitting behind you with her back to you has her phone out and has been trying to spell 'self-righteous' for the past _fifteen minutes_. It keeps auto correcting it to something else because she thinks it's a single one-worded phrase."

"...Wow." Jack mumbled before simpering and continuing, looking directly at the other man with a wide grin. "And then you have that moment where you look at the only other intelligent person in the room and go 'You know...I think we're actually..."

"'-living in a world of total _idiots_.'" He finished with an equally as broad grin, almost stunning Jack with how attractive and agleam his smile was in comparison to his unusual skin – also noting how the surprise from seeing it was fading away more and more as they talked.

"My words _exactly! _Took them straight from my mouth!"

"Toothiana!" He raised his gray hand in the air and yelled for service. "Get this man a coffee. He deserves it." A young woman dressed in an outrageous outfit of green, teal and blue promptly nodded and almost flew off to get the order done.

"Ah thanks..." Jack nervously nodded in thanks, running his hand down the back of his neck – why didn't he call for the barista himself?

"Not a problem...?" A slight hand gesture towards the white-haired child left him dumb founded...

It took a half second of thinking before he realized that he was asking for his name, and mentally chided himself for actually having to think about that one. "Jack Frost. Sorry, the stupid in this place is getting to me." He noted that he was enjoying insulting other people more then he should and should probably stop...later.

"It's forgivable, considering the circumstances..." He squinted and leaned forward a bit more, Jack noting at how the shadows coming through the window made his skin look ghostly and strangely...nice. "She _still _hasn't gotten it right."

"Incredible." A sarcasm laced sting before his coffee appeared at the table, closer to Jack's new-found friend rather then himself.

"You take your coffee sweet, Jack?" He waved a small bottle of brown syrup in front of him with a questioning look.

"Yes but-" Jack wanted to ask why he was preparing his coffee and what exactly was in the bottle but his friend had already began to drizzle the stuff in and push the cup in front of him.

"Agave sweetener, considered healthier then certain sugars."

"Ahhh...never had."

"Try it, you probably won't be able to taste the difference." His gray face graced a snide smile that Jack couldn't place, wondering if he was supposed to be offended or impressed. Deciding to be be the latter he licked his lips and looked down at the coffee questionably.

"And if I do and it tastes like shit?" Jack smirked and blew the hot steam from his beverage away, only noticing that he actually cursed after the fact.

"Then the coffee here tastes like shit any way..." His friend whispered promptly and chuckled lightheartedly, dripping the tiniest amount of sweetener onto his finger – no more then a single drop – before licking it away, surprising Jack. Every flash of color stood out more against his skin.

"Good point." He laughed quietly and began drinking his coffee with a happy smile, delighted to have found some entertaining company.

For what could have possibly been anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour, he and his booth mate talked about everything from the weather to underhandedly insulting the people around them to the point where they would have to bite their own tongues to stop the laughter from leaking out. Jack hadn't smiled so much in such a short time without somewhat forcing himself to since he was about ten. It actually began to make his face hurt but still they continued onwards into the evening joking about the people around them until someone nearby him asked about the time.

And reality hit him like a speeding bus. He had been gone for a full hour and a half from his house, basically running away from his upset, insulted, unstable drunk of a father and his less then willing to help problem of a mother, alone with his defenseless little sister.

For a full ninety minutes.

"It's really hard to even believe that with just about all human knowledge available at our fingertips, people seem to actually be getting denser." He whispered offhandedly before finished off his third cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I can't help but agree but umm...I gotta go." Jack rummaged in his pockets for his money and took it out to pay with, but his friend pushed the hand away and smiled.

"Don't worry about it. I ordered the coffee, I'll pay for it."

"Wow really?"

A curt, slow nod.

"Thank you so much!" Jack got up and waved farewell quickly but what he hoped would be seen as politely. He felt so much better now that he got out and got to actually see people that weren't either sitting next to him in class, droning on to him about school lessons or screaming at him for nothing. With no little haste he ran home as fast as he could, this time deciding to enter through the front door rather then try to struggle back up into his room's window. In the back of his mind, he realized he didn't get the stranger's name...but then he remembered that not everyone on the Earth had silver poisoning running through their bodies and turning their skin dark gray – he'd be easy to spot if Jack really wanted to see him again.

Satisfied with that conclusion he braced him for the worse, pushed the door open and returned back to his 'normal' life, leaving his indecent social graces, coffee fueled hatred for other teens his age and strangely charismatic gray skinned men behind.

–

_**Funfact: Chapter named after Pitch's not so unintentionally seductive licking away of the sweetener.**_

_**Song 'A Little Drop of Poison' by Tom Waits.**_

_**Thanks for all the support and whispers guys, the more I get reviews and views the more updates and stuff you guys get - since that stuff motivates me.**_

_**Thanks again :)**_


	3. Hellfire

"_Thank you so much!" Jack got up and waved farewell quickly in what he hoped would be seen as politely. He felt so much better now that he got out and got to actually see people that weren't either sitting next to him in class, droning on to him about school lessons or screaming at him for nothing. With no little haste he ran home as fast as he could, this time deciding to enter through the front door rather then try to struggle back up into his room's window. In the back of his mind, he realized he didn't get the stranger's name...but then he remembered that not everyone on the Earth had silver poisoning running through their bodies and turning their skin dark gray – he'd be easy to spot if Jack really wanted to see him again._

_Satisfied with that conclusion he braced him for the worse, pushed the door open and returned back to his 'normal' life, leaving his indecent social graces, coffee fueled hatred for other teens his age and strangely charismatic gray skinned men behind. _

* * *

Jack wasn't expecting complete peace and tranquility when he came home, he knew his parents and their problems better then to expect that and he wasn't stupid enough to believe in sudden miracles, but he didn't expect it to look like such an absolute war zone, as if a violent and powerful tornado with claws had had a temper tantrum in his living room Tasmanian-Devil style.

The furniture was tossed, lobbed and scattered across the room, a great majority of the couch pieces had what appeared to be knife holes with cotton pulling and dripping out of them like blood and flesh on an open wound. The T.V. had been knocked onto it's side – luckily not broken but probably not without trying—with the cable box thrown to the floor and broken up into different, shattered black pieces from the protective casing that dotted the floor along with jagged, sharp pieces of a different, non-plastic nature. Squinting he could make out the green glass of a broken beer bottle that reflected the sunlight coming through the open door with a soaking wet orange label that said 'Hellfire' on it.

_'No surprises there really...'_

The living room table had been flipped over and clearly thrown about with a part of the wood that made the base of the table stable missing, making it an unwise decision to place anything on it. The said part of wood was lying on the floor, unused and randomly breaking the destructive composition of the room. Jack walked up to it, closing the door behind him as he walked in lest his neighbors see and open Pandora's box, and made sure it wasn't used as a blunt object to harm anyone in the house.

More particularly, to make sure there was no blood marks that signaled that father had gone beyond what Jack thought capable of. Thankfully, he found none...so things were still relatively 'normal'.

After surveying the damage he cautiously peered around the house. It was past seven o'clock and he couldn't find his mother, father or his little sister. It was worrying. If anything the damned silence was making it a million times worse.

He traveled down a hallway he almost forgot existed, careful to make sure not to step on anything that would make an excessive level of noise and peered into the three rooms that made up his parents' room, his little sister's room and the 'Safety Room'...

First he checked his Mother and Father's room, a place he really never entered into before. He expected to find things lazily placed about and thrown around the room, making an entire mess with trash and garbage gathering on the floor and compacting, solidifying under its own weight until the trash literally became a new floor...the scent being capable of choking the breath out of a person to the point where one could possibly need a gas mask if they weren't used to be the scent, otherwise it'd be unhealthy just to stand in that room, much less inhabit it...

However, he was at a loss for words at the sight of the inside. It was impeccable with each and every last thing because neatly placed and put away in its respectful section of the room, the floor was remarkably unmarked and almost shined in the near-night/late dawn light that radiated through the nearby window giving just enough light to see.

With his mind once again blown he pulled out of the room as stealthily as he humanly could and made his way towards Mary's room, sincerely hoping nothing had happened to her and that he was going insane over nothing.

He peeked around the corner to his little sister's room and felt a little sick to his stomach. It had been so long since he had been in here last, kissing her on the forehead as a goodnight sign before withdrawing away, closing the door behind him...only to hear her whimpers of sadness from her and turning around, opening the door 'just a crack' to let the light come in before wishing her goodnight again. His heart ached but fortuitously he couldn't find any signs of a struggle or a fight here nor any sign of Mary being in there...time to move on.

With a calming exhale he tip-toed down to the last door of the three, the 'Safety Room'. The room that he actually spent the more time with his sister and mother in then all the other rooms combined. Faint memories of having to huddle up and lock the doors to try and pretend like their father wasn't just a short walk away, hurling slurred obscenities to his wife and kids as he took out his anger on the surrounding environment...

The surface of the door still had imprints of his father's hands on them, banging on the door while daring them to come out, screaming for them to, demanding that they leave the room before he would slowly sink down onto his knees like a defeated man and beg for benignity from his horror-struck family once again. In this moment of thoughtfulness, Jack pressed his finger into one of the marks where his father's hands once were, as if he could somehow help his father like touching the mark would somehow just make it disappear or evaporate into air...but that certainly didn't happen.

With the tips of his fingers he pushed the door open carefully and it gave a complaining shriek as it opened up, revealing the 'Safety Room' which, to the unknowing eye seemed to be a completely normal guest room to the house. Perfectly clean, crisp, unused sheets with a variety of comfortable pillows in various different shapes and sizes with the rest of the room having a comfortable feel to it, a natural blend of blues and whites along with two full walk in closets and an unused desktop in the corner on a desk – _'Obviously.'_.

Normal people would've thought it probably looked nice.

Jack hated it. He knew this room too well for his liking.

Disregarding his feelings of discomfort he focused on seeing if any violence had occurred in the room – but unlike the other rooms which had a wide variety of color, even in the dark, this room practically shined with blue and white. Any blood, dirt or signs of violence would stick out and there was nothing but peace and quiet.

Then, out of nowhere there was a loud slamming like wood on wall, the loud screeching of metal parts from being moved too fast and too suddenly with atrociously, loud shrieking cries and Jack hit the floor in a confused flurry of limbs with fists hitting him on the chest and a high pitched voice screaming deafeningly at him, enraged. The dim light that the room has previous glowered with wasn't helping him at all here, he couldn't see the face of whoever was hitting him!

But after a little while, right before he could respond in kind, he could feel their size and physical strength through their punches and their youth through their voice...and instead of trying to fight back he just laid there silently while Mary sat on top of him, hitting him, crying with heavy sniffles and screaming near unintelligible words that he could only understand parts of. He gladly let her hit him as he felt guilty in a way for whatever had occurred, despite not knowing what happened while he was away.

Eventually, the youngest frost calmed down and climbed off of Jack's body and helped him get up. The elder felt terrible despite doing nothing but laying there and not feeling any real physical pain from his sister's punches.

"I'm sorry Mary..." He knelt down and hugged her, holding her close to him and trying his best not to cry and get upset by extension. He needed to be strong for her right now, just like he usually was...he inwardly cursed himself. 'This is what happens when you run from the problem,' he distressingly reminded himself _'Today was a moment of weakness on your own part, you don't have anyone to blame but yourself. Don't let it happen again or things might just succeed in getting worse.'_ "I ran away. It was my fault."

Mary didn't seem to have a response for that and instead clung to him tighter, her sniffles starting up again as she opened her mouth to speak. "Dad left. He was upset...he came back...drunk...then he and mommy started fighting again and-" she started crying again, louder then last time and Jack's eyed widened as he looked at her, disturbed from her outburst of emotions. "Daddy said that he was glad you were gone and called you a buncha bad names and said you shouldn't ever come back..."

"It's alright...come here little snowflake..." He pulled her up safely into his arms and rocked her gently, trying to stop her tears. "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that all alone...it was my fault. Big brother is gonna try harder in the future alright?"

"Why doesn't daddy love us?" She sobbed into Jack's ear and the older of the two bit his lip, trying to suppress his own oncoming emotions. He hated it when she cried like this, as if with every tear that fell down her cheeks another part of his heart was breaking for her, for them. A selfish part of him wanted to go back to that time to before he really began to care for her. Back when he was able to turn a blind eye to all of the abuse he and his mother were going through by merely shrugging it off. Now he had his little sister, sensitizing him to the real nature of it again...and it was hell to deal with. "What did we do wrong that was so bad?"

"We didn't do anything wrong Mary. Dad just..." Jack's voice unintentionally trailed off there, unable to find an answer that would be befitting. _'Needs help', 'Is really angry?', 'Needs to stop going out and getting wasted?'_ seemed to all be correct and applicable answers, but not the answers Mary needed to hear right now in her life and so he tried his best to cover it up with another question. "Where's mom?"

"She went to go get garbage bags and stuff to clean up." She pushed past her emotions and Jack couldn't help but grin at her proudly, her English was getting better and better with each passing day. "She didn't make any food or anything...she just left. She's been gone for a while now."

"Hmmm...hey Snowflake-" Jack bit the inside of his cheek for a moment, only now realizing he was calling her by an old nickname Will used to use and instead just danced with her in his arms for a bit, smiling at her. "You've been doing great as of late. Big brother is going to find a way to reward you or something..." Then he remembered he had an unused ten dollar bill sitting in his front pocket with more hidden away in his room. _'Thank you gray guy!'_ "How about we order some pizza?"

She immediately became her chipper, happy self again. "With pepperoni?!"

"And extra cheese." He tickled her and rubbed his nose up against her own before placing her back onto solid ground.

She cheered as her older brother put her down and then greedily grabbed his hand up as they went back into the ruined living room to pick up and reassemble the dismantled house phone – battery and all – and call the local pizza place.

–

Jack wasn't dumb enough to let the pizza guy see the inside of the house and instead met him outside and gathered the pizza from there. He may have not liked how his parents treated them but he doubted foster care would be much better nor would it keep him in touch with his little sister. Things always got messy when you involved outside powers and laws...He hoped that he would be able to continue playing father figure for her while still being able to have a bit of breathing space for himself until either his father either got sober or until she didn't need him anymore.

He walked back inside and placed the pizza on top of the now un-turned over television – it was almost too big for him to turn back onto it's bottom but he struggled through it and got to cleaning up as best as he could within a nominal amount of time so that he could get his sister fed in an at least moderately clean environment.

First off was the less than difficult task of sweeping the floor clear of all the glass and hard plastic so that Mary wouldn't hurt her feet. Then placing as much of the furniture back in place as he possibly could and testing the cable box to make sure it worked and was fully functional – miraculously it was. Jack was thankful for the little things and set Mary up in the living room, watching Spongebob reruns while eating her pizza and waiting for her brother to come join her.

Unfortunately, Jack refused to rest so easy and tried his best to tidy absolutely everything up while Mary watched from the couch as he ran himself up and down the stairs and throughout the house, cleaning up to the best of his ability before sitting next to his little sister once more and trying to relax again, enjoying the rebroadcasts of his second favorite show in the world, eating his third favorite food in the world and enjoyed the fleeting moment of peace, away from the drunken brawls of his parents and the long and convoluted schoolwork that was more time consuming then difficult. Jack knew he had to eventually return to these things but for now he enjoyed this moment, when he could feel like he was actually a son rather then a full blown father figure...

–

Three full Spongebob episodes and six of out of a total ten slices of pizza later, Mary was dozing off with her head lying against his arm and struggling weakly to stay awake and conscious for as long as possible. Jack couldn't help but pet her head delicately and smile at her as she finally gave in and drowsed off into a world of sleep. After that Jack cautiously picked her up and put her into her own room, under the covers of her own bed before retreating back into the living room, putting away the rest of the pizza away in the kitchen and deciding it was time for him to go do schoolwork before heading off to bed himself.

And then he remembered the testing paper that he needed to have signed. A brief look confirmed that it certainly wasn't in the immediate area but he didn't have the energy or drive to get up and actually do an intense search for it – he didn't even complete the rest of his school work for today. He really couldn't do much besides just pick himself up and head to bed and just as he was about to do that, the front door swung open to reveal a thoroughly pissed off Katherine.

Jack opened his mouth to speak but was too slow, she was already on him with eyes like a hawks, staring him down viciously and mercilessly. "Why would you just leave like that? Do you have any idea how worried I was? How upset and scared me and your father were when we couldn't find you upstairs?"

"Mom I-"

"Don't even! Do you have any idea what you put me and your father through?!"

Jack sucked his teeth and took in a sharp intake of breath, too exhausted and emotionally drained already to deal with her screaming and yelling at him over his leaving. He agreed, it was stupid of him to leave so soon and without a word to her but her screaming wasn't helping him at all. "I'm sorry." It was all he could really struggle out before he pushed himself off the couch and tried to head to his own room...only for his mother to walk right in front of him and get in his face.

"Jackson don't you dare try to walk away from me. You scared the living hell straight out of us!"

Jack really couldn't take anymore for today. Maybe tomorrow but not right now...and he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind as a result. "I saw the beer bottle on the floor. So I can already tell you that's a lie for at least one of you. By the way, did you notice that I cleaned up the living room? Turned the television back straight up? Swept the floors? Fed Mary with food I brought with my _own_ savings? Put her to bed? Did you see any of that or even try to see things from _MY_ perspective before you started screaming at me?" It was all said in a shocking amount of deadpan that would've even surprised Jack, if it wasn't for the fact that he was far too fatigued to try and be astonished by his own words.

Katherine opened her mouth to speak but instead retreated and took a breath before talking. "None of that justifies you leaving Mary in this house all alone."

"Funny you should say that, because when I left here Mary was with you and dad but when I got back she was all _alone_, hiding in the closet in the safe room, paralyzed with fear until she knew it was me." Jack stepped past her, as if he was paying her no mind – and he wasn't. He didn't have any more left to give for today. "You can be hypocritical, spiteful and mix up your priorities all you want tomorrow. Right now I need sleep." With that he headed upstairs into his own room and locked the door behind him, leaving a stunned and ashamed Katherine to deal with her own emotions while he collapsed into bed and dreamed of a world where he didn't have so much _weight_ on his shoulders.

* * *

**_Fun fact: Hellfire is the name of one of my favorite Disney songs of all time. My absolute favorite is 'Pink Elephants on Parade' then, 'Be a Man', then 'I'm Odd', 'Be Our Guest', after is 'Be Prepared', 'Hellfire' and lastly is 'Painting the Roses Red'._**

**_Chapter originally to be released on May 1st but my little sister said I should give you another chapter this Sunday. Plus I have school testing to do...I also have just completed chapter 10...  
_**

**_Gonna be a fun, heartbreaking, soul shattering time :)._**

**_Also: The next two chapters are going to be smaller then this one - consecutively smaller. Nothing I could really do about that. Don't worry though, I'll release em faster (2-3 day spread)_**


	4. History Repeating

"_Jackson don't you dare try to walk away from me. You scared the living hell straight out of us!"_

_Jack really couldn't take anymore for today. Maybe tomorrow, but not right now...and he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind as a result. "I saw the beer bottle on the floor. So I can already tell you that's a lie for at least one of you. By the way, did you notice that I cleaned up the living room? Turned the television back straight up? Swept the floors? Fed Mary with food I brought with my own savings? Put her to bed? Did you see any of that or even try to see things from MY perspective before you started screaming at me?" It was all said in a shocking amount of deadpan that would've even surprised Jack, if it wasn't for the fact that he was far too fatigued to try and be astonished by his own words._

_Katherine opened her mouth to speak but instead retreated and took a deep breath before talking. "None of that justifies you leaving Mary in this house all alone."_

"_Funny you should say that, because when I left here Mary was with you and dad but when I got back she was all alone, hiding in the closet in the safe room, paralyzed with fear until she knew it was me." Jack stepped past her, as if he was paying her no mind – and he wasn't. He didn't have any more left to give for today. "You can be hypocritical, spiteful and mix up your priorities all you want tomorrow. Right now I need sleep." With that he headed upstairs into his own room and locked the door behind him, leaving a stunned and ashamed Katherine to deal with her own emotions while he collapsed into bed and dreamed of a world we he didn't have so much weight on his shoulders. _

* * *

Unfortunately, like all good things his dreaming came to a screeching halt and he awoke in bed, luckily around his usual time of when the alarm clock would wake him. Despite still being an exhausted mess with his hair sticking up every other way he pushed himself up from his bed, shed his clothing and rummaged through his drawers to find something he could actually wear outside – distinctly trying to avoid seeing a reflection of himself in the nearby glass window.

Eventually he found a light gray t-shirt, black jacket with a hood, some dark blue jeans that clung to his upper thighs – making it clear how thin he was but without making him look as if he was approaching an unhealthy state of weight loss – and some navy blue sneakers.

Jack smirked to himself depressingly._ 'Isn't stress supposed to make you gain weight?'_ He tiptoed back downstairs to happily find that the floor was clear of all signs of a fight or conflict. If his father got back that night, he must have went straight to bed without a second thought...which was good for the frost son in his own opinion.

He tiptoed down the hallway and into Mary's room to find her still sleeping. Had it not been for school, he would've gladly let her sleep. But sadly, it was a school day and he had to pick her up and place her on her feet – the quickest way he knew to wake her up.

"Good morning Mary." He whispered re-assuredly before getting out some of her clothes – a long sleeved blue and gray shirt with a design he didn't really care much for on the front and light blue jeans from the near by dresser and placing them right next to her on the bed. "You can wear whichever sneakers you want. I'll go make us a quick breakfast alright?"

"M'kay." Mary mumbled stuffily while rubbing her tired eyes and turning to her clothing while her brother politely retreated from the room, closing the door as softly as he could behind him.

It wasn't long before he had a plate of sunny-side up eggs and lightly buttered, golden toast with a light layer of honey on them specifically for her and a single piece of toast in his own mouth while he cleaned up the kitchen and tried to make sure his hair was something presentable to humanity – easier said then done with his dislike of mirrors due to his own lack of free weight or time to eat healthily.

He didn't let himself think of those matters and instead made sure everything is ready for Mary, double checking over her books and making sure everything was intact, making sure she looked presentable and decent and brushing down her hair gently before sitting her in the still-not-as-clean as he would've liked living room and allowing her to eat before he double checked himself – getting all his books and things together as quickly as he could and swallowing down the meager amount of food he would allow himself to indulge in at this time...then dodging into his room and grabbing another ten dollars for future use should he need it.

"Alright you ready Mary?" He said, giving her a smile and hug as she dumped her plate into the sink. The nod he received in response was happy and ecstatic despite this being their normal morning grind. "Alright then, let's get moving." He took her hand into his and they walked out of the door, gently closing it behind them so they wouldn't wake their parents.

It wasn't long before Jack had to allow his younger sister to leave his sight and into the primary school. He gave her a hug, a kiss on the forehead and a normal "Okay, I'll pick you up from here at around 3:10. Be good, work hard and focus" before she left.

This happened almost every day but it was still a little sad to her go, even when he knew the school was a safe place for her. He chalked it up to him being something of her guardian before he picked himself up and began the five to seven minute walk from there to his high school, walking past multiple eateries and shops on the way and actually wanting to go in and get something for himself after barely getting anything to eat but he didn't want to be wasteful.

Instead he focused on getting to school and trying his hardest to study and as he waited an intersection's light to change he felt as if that wasn't going to last long.

"Oh hello there Jack." A shady, gray and abnormally dark looking person slid into his perspective vision and he turned to find his old friend from Cafe Claussen standing there with an obvious smirk. He almost jumped from seeing him.

"Oh hey! Good to see you again..." Jack smiled and looked over him quickly. He was wearing a simple black shirt and matching pants, carrying a small case in a single hand. The clothing fit him well, looked surprisingly expensive and worked along with his skin and body shape rather well. He could clearly see the outlines of sinewy, interesting muscles through the fabric.

"Same to you. I suppose you go to the local high school?" Another bright smile of straight white teeth that clashed with the rest of his skin had him wondering how Pitch got his Argyria in the first place.

"Trust me when I say I wouldn't be anywhere near a school if I didn't...but what are you doing here?"

"I live a bit of a ways past here, really behind the town and closer to where there are actual woods and rivers."

"Oh cool..." Jack tried to thank him again for the fact that he could buy pizza for his little sister the other night, but the light had changed and everyone nearby them was walking – pushing them forward and nearly separating them. Even with his friend's less then normal skin color he wasn't able to find him through the fast moving group of teenagers pushing him by and before he knew it he was pushed right outside the campus losing sight of him._ 'Damn it...'_

"Well that was close. Nearly lost you." The voice spoke normally and the distance between them was normal but it just sounded teasing in nature.

"You're genetically predetermined to try and be scary aren't you?"

"No...but did I get you?"

"No." Jack whirled around and stuck his tongue out at his acquaintance "but I want to thank you Mister...?" He mimicked the hand gesture from the Cafe with delighted face as he noticed how Pitch beamed – he remembered.

"Kozmotis Pitchiner." The light bow that he gave Jack was unexpected and graceful. "But please do call me Pitch. Much easier on the pronunciation." He reached out, placing his hand in Jack and shaking it eagerly.

"Jackson Overland Frost." He shook back with a polite smile that was returned in kind and at that moment he wished he didn't have to go to school – even though that was a normal thought for him during certain days this one stuck out much more then the other wishes...and then he noticed that Pitch was giving him a weird look with a raised eyebrow as if wordlessly saying 'What are you doing?'. Then he noticed he was still holding his hand and quickly let go with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, my brain's elsewhere."

"Well I certainly hope you find it before someone else does. You know how people around here are. You know she never got it right and just settled for 'self-riheous'?"

"You're _kidding."_ A light chuckle mixed with a hint of slight disbelief in his voice.

"I really wish I was and that's the worst part." Pitch smiled right along with him and for just a half second, Jack thought _'This is right. This is what not faking feels like.' _before he realized that the bell was ringing in the background and he had to get going to make it to class.

"Well...that's kinda my call."

"I understand. Try to get your brain back in your head before the teacher calls on you. Always nice to not get embarrassed in front of the class." Pitch joked and Jack's smile widened even more.

"Alright. Guess I'll see you around?"

"At the Cafe?" His voice was soft and lightly melodic, carrying with it a feeling of hopefulness.

"Is that a date?" It was meant as a joke despite Jack's self-admittance of finding the man before him rather attractive.

But Pitch seemed to either joke right along with him or take it somewhat seriously, as his smile became something...strangely different and his voice deepened very slightly. "Only if you want it to be."

Jack felt like the conversation had somehow reached a strange turning point in terms of what they were talking about. He defensively hid his nervous awkwardness and chuckled it off instead of actually addressing it, waving as he walked backwards into the school, Pitch watching him happily and answering with his own little wave until the younger dipped inside the building and disappeared out of sight.

_"Too cute really...much too cute."_ Pitch whispered as he walked away from the high school with a happiness in his slightly imposing stride that he lacked before seeing the young man but didn't notice.

But a pair of observant eyes only a few feet away, hidden behind a nearby tree with a photo-capable phone in hand didn't and quickly took a picture of the gray skinned man.

"I'll remember that."

–

Previously, Jack had trouble focusing on schoolwork due to home problems and his hard work taking care of Mary and trying to deal with his parents' inability to be...'parents'. Today, however, was a different story altogether. Today he was completely and utterly infatuated with his new found 'friend' that had just a mere hour before been jocular about being a bit more then friends or perhaps he was indeed serious and the distinct possibility was indeed there.

If he was in any other place, Jack knew he'd be trying to shake himself from the illusion that this man was actually interested in him but he was in his easiest class – art appreciation – which bored him but he wanted the credits. Questions like_ 'What does he do for a living?'_ and_ 'How old is he?'_ popped up into his head and the young, lovestruck high-schooler decided he needed to know the answers the next time he saw him. He wanted to know more about him, especially since even with gray skin he wasn't anywhere near bad looking if anything he was the opposite: the gray skin put incredible shadows on his skin that made him look even more attractive and beautiful.

Jack wasn't sure whether it was just him that seemed to think so but a part of him hoped it was true because it made the connection between them feel more real and personal, something he enjoyed despite him only learning his name today.

His pencil scribbled out little scrawls and notes of questions he wanted to ask, things he wished to inquire deeper into but didn't dare question now for fear of pushing him away before things got remotely serious. Then it all hit home: Jack had never been in a really, serious, long-lasting relationship before.

He had been in a few relationships that never went beyond a single date and maybe a make out session, extending for no longer then a week before he had to stand the girl up due to at home responsibilities or they left him for someone who actually had time for someone else. He was a seventeen year old virgin alongside that, even if he was as beloved in the town as he really was, he didn't suspect many people would have the patience to deal with him. Especially not someone who was quite literally tall, dark and handsome.

Plus Pitch was a man. He wondered how he parent's would react to him bringing a man home – if his father reacted to him getting a bad grade on a test by pummeling him into the ground, he wasn't quite sure if he would actually live with telling him: _'Hey yeah, this is Kozmotis Pitchiner. I met him at a cafe downtown and fell in love at first insult. He's got gray skin from probably eating or somehow ingesting silver, he's at least three years older then me and I'm still illegal. I also let him potentially poison me in the cafe! Gets better though, I have NO idea what he does for a living, he claims he lives in the woods far away from any human interaction and nearly all the interaction we've had was generally just insulting other people!'_

He figured he'd get to 'cafe' before getting himself killed. He sighed as his brain and logic caught up to his fantasies and crushed them underfoot._ 'He's probably with some lucky girl who is enjoying his attention', 'He's way too far above your league', 'He doesn't want some broken up kid that has to play daddy all the time to some little brat', 'You're too young', 'You're too skinny', 'You're never gonna get him'._

With a deep breath he exhaled and impatiently tapped his foot on the ground before running his hands though his hair, stress mounting up from his own thoughts crushing him and his hopes.

"Hey Jack?" Jack glanced up to see Jamie Bennett looking at him curiously and the entire classroom empty and forgotten, even the teacher was gone.

"Oh, sorry! Ummm...darn it..." He quickly gathered up his things and left before he could get reprimanded and hurried off to his next class before he could be late – but of course he was and received strange looks from his friend and the fellow students before he slipped into his seat and attempted to focus once more only to slip back into 'fantasy vs logic' mode again about Pitch – wondering more and more about his likes and dislikes as he absentmindedly scribbled circles into his notebook, not paying any attention in any of his classes.

This process repeated until he was finally out of school, gathering his list of due homework for today and heading out to go collect Mary and take her home with the name ' Kozmotis Pitchiner' burned deeply into the back of his mind.


	5. Intervention

_With a deep breath he exhaled and impatiently tapped his foot on the ground before running his hands though his hair, stress mounting up from his own thoughts crushing him and his hopes. _

"_Hey Jack?" Jack glanced up to see Jamie Bennett looking at him curiously and the entire classroom empty and forgotten, even the teacher was gone. _

"_Oh, sorry! Ummm...darn it..." He quickly gathered up his things and left before he could get reprimanded and hurried off to his next class before he could be late – but of course he was and received strange looks from his friend and the fellow students before he slipped into his seat and attempted to focus once more only to slip back into 'fantasy vs logic' mode again about Pitch – wondering more and more about his likes and dislikes as he absentmindedly scribbled circles into his notebook, not paying any attention in any of his classes. _

_This process repeated until he was finally out of school, gathering his list of due homework for today and heading out to go collect Mary and take her home with the name 'Kozmotis Pitchiner' burned deeply into the back of his mind._

–

Both he and Mary had finally reached the end of their rather uncheerful walk home – the main reason it was somber being because it was a walk back _home, _a walk back to the place that was riddled with parental arguments, screaming, instability and violent was famished for food since he forgot that he had money in his pocket to buy lunch with and spent the entire time during his lunch break daydreaming about the man that a part of him still refused to believe he could have.

It was a little upsetting how hard it was hitting him but he decided he'd just push past it like everything else and instead focused on walking ahead of his sister to open the door – just to make sure there was nothing going on she wasn't supposed to see and swung the door wide open to see his parents seated on a brand new – but identical – couch, their heads turned towards him in surprise.

They both looked awake, alert, looked as if they actually took their times trying to look their best today and...surprisingly looked not drunk. Mary shuffled up behind him and stared with wide eyes, even she could see the difference in their appearances.

"Oh hey there little Snowflake!" Will showed off a mouth filled with bright white teeth as he approached the younger Frost, who at first almost hid from him before allowing herself to be swept up into her father's arms with a grin.

"Daddy!" She gripped onto his shirt and laughed happily while Katherine got up and hugged Jack, her scent was that of perfume and shower gel instead of the normal alcohol that he would usually smell...

it all became obvious.

It was the return of the peaceful, clean, sober week.

"Hey pumpkin, how was school?" Will said, putting his child on the ground and kneeling to get on her smile.

"It was really nice! I drew a picture of the American flag today and the teacher said I did super extra good!" Mary smiled wide, showing off all of her baby teeth while Jack unlatched himself from his mother...seeing the whole scene left a bitter taste in his mouth. Did Mary think that Will was actually different? Maybe she thought that her father and drunken Will were two individual entities – if that was the case Jack both profoundly pitied and greatly envied her lack of ability to see reality for what it really was.

"Jack sweetie, when you finish your homework me and your father have something we need to talk about with you." Katherine's voice was so lighthearted and cheerful compared to that of what it was in the days before that it almost struck the teen frost as a shock.

"Alright, I'll finish soon."

"Take yer time sport, there's no rush." Will called after him while he picked up Mary again and spun her around, making her scream and laugh happily before putting her back down and ruffling her hair.

_'Yes, __Dad. I know you probably either can't tell or don't care but__ there is a rush...' _He knew his parents were on a timer of at most seven to eight days before they sunk back into their drinking habits – three or four if withdrawal symptoms really begin hitting them hard with headaches and overall bodily aches and pains. He sealed himself away in his room to finish his work as soon as he could – or he could lie about it and go back down in twenty minutes just to get it over with.

–

Jack didn't rush through his schoolwork but he did use his laptop to cheat his way out of a good ninety percent of his work – he knew most of it anyway so he decided it was fine to cheat just a little bit...for all of his work.

He was done in about thirty five minutes and then spent the next ten lounging about his room and strongly considering his options._ 'Go down now, later or never at all...'_ He figured now would be the best option, just to get it out of the way and not prolong the torture. He forced himself off of his bed and down the steps – every step he went down felt like a step closer to some strange world that he wasn't ever sure how to deal with. No matter how many 'safe' weeks happened he could never get over how dramatic and different the change was. The two might as well have been completely contrasting human beings in comparison to their drunk selves.

Needless to say, there was a certain level of terror involved as well, Jack's lack of time spent around them made him wary and unsure. He didn't know what buttons he could and couldn't push with them or what would trigger an argument or an outburst from them. He felt himself walk in on pins and needles, whether because he had been sitting on his feet the entire time while doing his homework or out of sheer fear he was unsure.

One thing was for certain: they were waiting for him. His father sitting up in a brand new chair perhaps pretending to actually be interested in whatever it was on T.V. That Jack couldn't be bothered to notice with his nerves stung so tensely. His mother, previously lying on the couch was also getting up from her position, looking up at him with eyes he couldn't read.

_'This is gonna be fun.' _Jack mentally joked before putting on his best fake smile and striding in on the balls of his heels, giving the illusion that he was much more hyped up to talk with them then he usually was. "I'm done with my work, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Come, sit." Katherine pet the seat right next to her and welcomed him into it. "We need to talk to you about a couple things that have happened recently."

"My...history grade?" Jack played dumb and prepared to act as surprised and upset as he possibly could for the upcoming news – something that really wasn't really 'news' at all so much as telling him the obvious – before he sat down next to his mother, putting on his best possible perplexed face.

"No...no...it's about..."

"It's about my drinking." His father cut in – something that Jack wasn't expecting at all. Never before in the past nine years had he actually come forward about it while _not actually drunk _and arguing in support of his drinking. Even now his voice carried with it a confidence and a boldness about it that spoke of something different – like an _actual _change.

Jack wanted, so badly, to actually believe in him.

"First off I want to say...I'm sorry." His father leaned over in his chair, arms resting on his knees with his hands crossed into a cradle for his chin. "These past years I've...I've mistreated you, Mary and your mother and nothing will ever change that, I'm ashamed of the things I've said and done but I can't take them back – you already know that."

Jack nodded slowly, not fully understanding this sudden change of words. Usually he would just say that he would try harder next time – say a few apologies and be good for a few days but never anything quite of this seriousness and magnitude. Nothing that ever brought such a heavy silence over the room or cast such a large shadow and demanded such overwhelming attention from both him and his mother.

"I realize that I have completely dumped my responsibilities as a father onto you, especially when it comes to little Snowflake..." The sadness in his father's eyes was visible and pulling. It yanked distressingly on Jack's heartstrings and he found himself desperately wanting to cry and vent about the past couple of years, where it had been getting harder and harder for him. He swallowed it back down and chose that he would save it as something to scream about to the walls of his own room, lest he cause a bigger scene to erupt. "That's nothing any father should ever do to their child, or a burden that you should be allowed to bear. I can't even begin to tell you how..." His voice wavered with a whimper, as if the words were painfully caught in his throat, before he took an inhale and re-composed himself. "How upset I am at myself for my actions, my dependency, everything I've ever done to you or your mother...I'm so...so sorry."

Jack swallowed and stopped making eye contact, instead looking at his own folding and unfolding hands with increasing amounts of possibly positive uncertainty with his father's words. He never heard him really apologize like this – never completely sober, never with such sadness in his voice and never directly to him. _'This may really be it...he might just really stop this time...' _He could see tears brimming in his father's light hazelnut brown eyes that glowed with the want of change and hope...

There were no words for how much Jack wanted to believe in him, wanted to believe he could change- but there were also no words for how much emotional, physical and mental _suffering_ that he had gone through for the past nine years. Living in a household where overhearing a previously loving and welcoming couple scream obscenities and heartless insults at each other, death threats and the throwing of furniture were simply dismissed as normal Sunday morning rituals. Where the peaceful and ever satisfactory sound of silence was the greatest delight both he and his little sister could hope for when they were not caught in a sober week, unless it was a 'calm before the storm' silence – in which case it was as if they were walking on mine-covered battlefields. He bit his lip painfully hard and ceased that train of thought – he had to be strong and steadfast until he _knew_ beyond a shadow of a doubt that Will had stopped.

"I promise you, that that will never happen again. I will do everything in my power to stop myself from letting another drop of alcohol pass my lips. This – whole _thing_ is just...it can't keep going. I'm going to stop myself – I have to. Or it is going to kill me." Whether he was talking to Jack or himself, no one in the room was entirely sure. But his mother beamed happily and hugged Will tightly, as if trying to show him how _proud_ and happy she was of him.

"Jack, we got you something that you really should've gotten earlier." His mother dipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a flat blue and white rectangle, passing it into his hand with a wide grin.

He examined it, running his fingers over its surface before mentally berating himself _'It's a phone you dumbass...'_ He smiled as he turned it over and looked at the design on the back. A large snowflake with stripes on both sides, above and beneath it. "Thanks so much..." Jack really had no idea who he was going to call or what the capabilities of the phone were but he was sure that it'd be useful to have one on the go now.

"We entered the phone's number into the school, so if we need to call you or you need to call us they already know. Also signed that test paper, be sure to pass it this time okay?" Jack nodded and turned around to run back up to his room.

"And try and get all your grades a little higher. You're smarter then what they show, I know it..." His father yelled after him and something inside his heart beamed.

He didn't even think his father knew about his grades.

–

**_Fun fact: Alternate title is Cliche Bromide._**

**_A little bit of a spoiler too I guess._**


	6. Bubbly

"_I promise you, that that will never happen again. I will do everything in my power to stop myself from letting another drop of alcohol pass my lips. This – whole thing is just...it can't keep going. I'm going to stop myself – I have to. Or it is going to kill me." Whether he was talking to Jack or himself, no one in the room was entirely sure. But his mother beamed happily and hugged Will tightly, as if trying to show him how proud and happy she was of him. _

"_Jack, we got you something that you really should've gotten earlier." His mother dipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a flat blue and white rectangle, passing it into his head with a wide grin._

_He examined it, running his fingers over its surface before mentally berating himself 'It's a phone you dumbass...' He smiled as he turned it over and looked at the design on the back. A large snowflake with stripes on both sides, above and beneath it. "Thanks so much..." Jack really had no idea who he was going to call or what the capabilities of the phone were but he was sure that it'd be useful to have one on the go now. _

"_We need signed that test paper, be sure to pass it this time okay?" Jack nodded and turned around to run back up to his room._

"_And try and get all your grades a little higher. You're smarter then what they show, I know it..." His father yelled after him and something inside his heart beamed. _

_He didn't even think his father knew about his grades._

–

It was the first time in a long time that Jack found himself waking up early in the morning and forcing himself to leave the ever beautiful and cottony comfort of his bed only to be softly told to go back to sleep as his father readied his little sister for school downstairs, doing everything from double checking with her books to lightly brushing her hair down while she giggled jubilantly and told him about her many new friends at school from entering the new year.

Jack felt a part of his heart ache for two different reasons. The first reason was because he was happy and enthralled to see his father actually sober for once in such a long time and doing something for them that they needed—finally playing the part of a parent. The second reason was because he knew that if Will really did decide to pick up the slack and actually be father to Mary, he wouldn't be able to anymore. Jack knew that after he stopped being the 'father' of Mary he wouldn't be able to spend nearly as much time with her and their current time spent together, things that Jack had up to now seen as their own little private time that included walks back and forth to school and getting ready in the morning would be taken from him.

_'A necessary evil I guess...__' _Jack thought wistfully and quickly tip-toed back upstairs from his looking place so he could get ready for his own day – for once not having to rush as much as he did before. He even spent a little more time double checking over his backpack – making sure he had everything, including his new phone, he needed before he went into the bathroom downstairs and looked at himself in the mirror.

Still too thin for his height and age but with Will taking a much more active role Jack was sure he'd fill out eventually. With a hint of a grin on his lips he examined himself in the mirror a little closer, he didn't like how thin he was but he really loved how lithe he looked. _'Can't gain too much weight...'_ Jack thought with impressing Pitch with his appearance at the forefront of his mind.

Then it hit him.

He didn't have to be with Mary all around the clock if Will was with her.

Meaning he had time for _himself._..and Pitch.

With a mischievous grin he thought of the man of his affections before almost painfully yanking himself out of that train of thought – he'd be late for school if he allowed it to go any further. Instead he focused on getting downstairs and getting some breakfast, planning to fix himself something nice, filling and quick instead of just grabbing whatever he could get his hands on. But he found his plate fully prepared for him upon coming downstairs, a small stack of pancakes with maple syrup dripped on them that resembled a smiley face and few pieces of bacon along with a note that was done in near-sun bright-orange colored crayon.

'_Me and Daddy made this together! - Love Mary! :)'_

Jack bit his lip and mentally read it in her voice a few times before licking his lips and biting down in order to stop the tears from coming out, he didn't know why he was crying but he felt it was so undeniably adorable...he promptly sat down and got to work.

–

He was heading to school alone, without the need to go to the local grade school to drop off Mary, this was something new and almost alarming for him. He realized how pathetic it was but Mary had become such an important part of his morning regime that he actually felt uncomfortable and unsafe walking down the street alone. Her presence was a calming assurance for some reason.

He tried to swallow it down but his fear was really getting the best of him – he looked down, didn't quite wear the same smile and only when he approached the near empty Cafe Claussen and saw an unforgettable face inside did he perk up and dash into the place, noting that he had at least a good twenty minutes to spare before class.

"Pitch!" A wide, confident grin along with a happy stride as he approached his friend/cafe acquaintance/flirtation-ship partner/mental boyfriend.

Pitch looked up from his book and only after seeing Jack did he allow a grin to come through. "Well, hello Jack...shouldn't you be headed off to school?" He checked his rather expensive looking watch with a flick of the wrist and Jack noticed: the Argyria really was covering him from head to toe but bright silver looked gorgeous on him.

Jack admired Pitch's current outfit. A simple black suit with a white tie and again that shining, beautiful silver watch with basic reading glasses.

"I got time." He dismissed Pitch's worries with a wave and sat across from him, showing off his gleaming smile while unceremoniously dumping his backpack into the seat next to him.

"At least fifty minutes worth here. I usually leave around thirty minutes after the bell rings – gets so scarily quiet around then."

"So you do come here often." Jack said, half teasing and half joking.

Pitch smiled, caught slightly off guard and took off his glasses, folding them into his book as a placeholder before pushing it aside and centering purely on Jack. "You look radiant this morning. Something exciting happen?"

He wasn't sure how Pitch knew that but he didn't ask – he already knew he looked different with a full stomach and actual time to prepare himself before leaving the house. "Yeah..." Jack stopped himself from speaking about the 'exciting news'. Fathers with crippling alcoholic issues that they are only currently attempting to try and get over after eight years of family abuse wasn't something the average man found attractive...to his knowledge. "Just got a little more time on my hands as of late." Jack decided he didn't want to get end their conversation there and kept going – he didn't need to but he just wanted to hear Pitch keep on talking to him. "So what's up with you?"

"Nothing really, I'm not the type with much action going on. The most news you'll get out of someone like me is that I'm interested in a new book." Pitch rested his arm on the table and used it to cradle his head, as if holding it.

Jack bit his tongue and quietly weighed his options: actually let the matter rest because he couldn't quite find another option of conversation aside from option two or...flirt like he had never flirted before.

The latter option always was the best one.

"You should spend a little more time with me then. I'm sure I can find some excitement for you." Jack grinned naughtily with his hand lying casually on the center of the table, drawing invisible hearts with his fingertips while hoping that Pitch would actually keep up the teases he did back at the front of the campus.

Jack didn't know what he would do if he didn't.

At first Pitch seemed shocked to hear Jack say such things but then he smirked and leaned forward a bit more with an equally playful smile dancing on his own lips. His voice sounded husky and deep and as Jack listened to him he swore he felt his heart skip a beat. "Well, entertain me Frost. What have you got in mind?"

Jack's lips formed an 'O' as he processed that statement. Pitch just returned his flirt. Meaning he was interested...right? Jack figured he didn't have enough relationship experience to tell...but decided that if Pitch really wasn't interested, he'd tell him. After he was done gaping like a fish he tried his best to focus on Pitch again and be as alluring as possible – but it was clear that Pitch had seen his weakness and interrupted him before it began.

"Oh _Jack_..." His voice was hinging on a moan and sounded almost as if he was really making love to Jack right at that moment. "Don't tell me you thought I was joking the other day..." The tips of his own light, dexterous fingers brushed against the back of Jack's hand and he looked him directly in his sky blue eyes. "I wasn't...this isn't mere play."

Jack took a sharp breath and nearly moved his hand, the contact feeling like static electricity dancing on his skin. He looked up to retort and ended up staring back at Pitch, the single look stealing the air out of his lungs and the thoughts from his brain, his mind only briefly accounting that he had possibly the most beautiful, sexually intimidating and attractive eyes Jack had ever seen before his mental thoughts shut down with the exception of the most basic systems.

Pitch grinned and continued with his butterfly touches, leaving a light trail of goosebumps on Jack's palm. "I wonder if you're simply all talk Jack Frost. I wonder if you really know what you're saying and doing to me when you throw me such...teasing looks." Pitch took this opportunity to absorb everything...Jack's light panting that was almost undetectable by anyone who wasn't sitting directly across from him, the way his pulse seemed to jump under skilled fingertips, the needy expression and parting of his pink and kissable lips...'Much too cute' was quickly becoming an understatement. "I refuse to be teased for too long without having a little fun for myself. I promise you Jack, I will have every part of you to myself if you intend to keep doing this and you _will_ enjoy it." Only then did the older lover pull his hand back "...every last moment of it." Then he pulled his left hand to his mouth and gently kissed the tip of his index finger before gently pushing it towards Jack's lips, which puckered ever so slightly forward waiting for the indirect kiss...

He wanted everything Pitch had to give him. He wanted to feel him, touch him, every sensation he could get. He was desperate for it and he'd take anything he could get his hands on – even something as simple and as childish as this...he was wanting for too long, thinking about it too much, spending too much precious time believing that Pitch was like some pie-in-the-sky dream he could never have and feeling too saddened and upset to really chase after.

Finally he was going to get it and as he felt the heat of Pitch's fingertips near his mouth he felt as if his mind went partially blank and he flew away, only to crash down distressingly to Earth as Pitch pulled his hand back sharply and turned towards the luckily less-then-attentive waitress with a grin that spoke of inner laughter and delight with a hint of wicked cruelty.

"Excuse me." Pitch said, his voice now all business with none of the naughty playfulness that it had before. "Can I get some bubble tea over here for my friend? Preferably ice made."

Jack snapped out of it from the pure shock of what Pitch did and slowly put both of his hands in his palms, embarrassed and upset by his own actions – or the specific lack of intentional ones. Without realizing it he allowed himself to be like putty in Pitch's hands for those moments, completely wide eyed and slack jawed and easily lead on by the nose. "...You're a horrible man."

"And you're eventually going to like that." Pitch said casually as Toothiana – Jack tried not to focus on how implausibly stupid that name sounded when said aloud was or how befitting the name was considering the horrendous shades of teal, blue and green she donned herself with – flitted over to the table and delivered him a strangely colored, icy concoction that he assumed was bubble tea.

Jack waited until the server leaved before speaking. "So you're going to just not give me anything? How delightful."

"Oh no, I just won't give you enough." Pitch spoke dismissively with an invisible grin that Jack had rapidly learned to see through the attempt to stay straight faced and serious."...or maybe I'll give you everything you've ever wanted if you'd be patient enough..."

"Patience isn't one of my better qualities I'm afraid." Jack nervously poked the slushy tea with the bright pink silly straw that came with it in embarrassment – _'keep it noted to never tip Toothiana ever'_.

"Then that makes us at party of two, doesn't it Jack?" Pitch said slowly pointing to the silly straw with a smirk before looking at Toothiana, once again not paying attention, with disapproval.

"Then maybe you should hurry up before I lose interest hm?" Jack grinned haughtily before sipping gently on his bubbly tea and thoughtfully noted to get more for himself then next time he came.

"Let's not play that game little one. You don't control the conversation." Pitch informed him, voice dangerously low once again and Jack felt a small rush of sexual adrenaline go through him as he realized just what position he was in...there was something intoxicating about their back and forth quips and flirts that he just couldn't get over.

"Oh please, don't bore me with warnings. I'm not the type to learn much from them anyway." Jack chuckled quietly and tried to hide and stop his bubbling smile – he was grinning to the point where his face was actually beginning to hurt.

"Obviously not...you're the type that needs to learn from rough, hard, _fast_ experience." Pitch's voice was akin to a low rumble of seduction and he looked Jack in the eye again as he stealthily licked his lips – just a flash of soft pink against his grayish skin was dashing enough for Jack to notice and let out a small gasp of surprise that unintentionally escaped him as a pleading moan for more. "You need it, not even for the experience but so that someone can show you the greatest pleasure you could possibly feel..." He moved closer with his eyes never parting Jack's pupils – the pools of icy blue now blown to at least double their size as he imagined and fantasized about Pitch with every word he spoke and every faint touch. "Slowly and carefully pleasing you, making you plead for it with every breath until they ultimately give it to you, tortuously well until your arcing from the bed, melting, hot, breathless, _screaming_ their name..." Jack was now crossing his legs under the table and linking his fingers together, his face beet red but his eyes unable to look away...Pitch leaned in under their noses were just barely touching. "You need..."

Jack took a deep breath at the light contact, back arcing from the want.

"To get to school or you'll be late." Pitch backed away just as quickly as he closed in, his voice now switching from its seductive tone to a very concerned one that didn't fit the mood at all. "You've got about five minutes if I'm guessing correctly..." He peered at his watch and nodded without even giving Jack the slightest glance.

…...'_Pitch...you're a HORRIBLE, terrible person!' _Jack mentally yelled at the aching between his legs and the dizzying feeling, resembling a knotted rope that needed to be released, in the pit of his stomach.

"Bathroom is right past the fourth table against that well." Pitch pointed behind him with one hand while opening his book with the other, disregarding the whispered curses that came spilling from Jack's mouth as he passed – a bit too loudly to be polite – bent over, trying his best to hide his erection from the now giggling Toothiana who had witnessed the whole exchange.

Jack came very close to collapsing against one of the stall walls in the bathroom, his pants feeling too tight to walk around safely in and his body far too hot for normal. He took deep, even breaths, trying to will it down but he couldn't – not enough to get to school on time...

He bit his lip and unzipped his pants, letting them pool around his ankles and looked down at his tented black boxers with an upset face. He couldn't even remember the last time he actually did this – he _had_ done it before, he knew that for certain but...he couldn't as of late, not enough time to focus on himself or even relieve himself of stress...

He heaved an upset sigh and gripped his leaking erection in his hand, with his opposite hand running up his chest, leaving behind trails of raised skin as he thought of Pitch and his promises of what he would do...taking his time to make Jack scream.

Thinking of Pitch's hips rolling into his own, their erections grinding together and his own breath hitching at the thought of the heated contact, their flesh melting against each other had him rolling his hips into his hand and leaning forward, now using his hand to brace himself against the opposite wall. The fantasized versions of what Pitch could do to him that he thought of during school were not helping him hold back any.

"Piiitch..." Jack was veering on drooling as he thrust into his palm over and over again, tip leaking pure white essence while he could just barely stop himself from releasing too much noise as to alert anyone that could be in another stall.

_'S__lowly and carefully pleasing you, making you plead for it with every breath...__' _Pitch standing over him, controlling him, pleasing him only enough to keep him excited, never enough to actually let him reach his peak, Jack groaned deeply and added a light twist to his strokes, right up near the base. He caught himself just in time to push himself back up against the wall and use his free hand to quickly shove his mouth full of shirt to no one would hear him...he was in heaven and he wouldn't last long. _'__until they finally give it to you, __tortuously__ well until your arcing from the bed, __melting, hot, panting, screaming their n__.' _Jack couldn't finish that thought, his mind completely blank and gone as he screamed silently into the cloth, most of the noise being drowned out and the rest sounding muffled. He came hard, seeing stars and white bliss behind his eye lids, gripping himself tightly while he rocked into his hand, not stopping until he could see again with his white seed emptied into his hand.

His body felt warm and strangely lighter in the afterglow but he didn't want to actually _do_ anything, he felt too tired and spent. All he wanted to do was go home and crawl under the covers where it was nice and warm and not school work filled...but he tore himself away from the quite, post self-copulatory comfort of the bathroom stall and washed his hands rapidly and thoroughly before stomping out to see a still smiling Pitch and embarrassed looking Toothiana, almost hiding behind the counter.

"How was it?" Pitch's voice sounded more interested then he probably wanted it to be but Jack shoved it off and answered it as if it was a normal question.

"Good...Remember to tell me how yours will be." A snide smirk thrown towards Pitch got an intrigued look back and Jack slid towards him – briefly running his hand against Pitch's shoulder in a seductive way, slower then what was publicly acceptable considering the words that just left his mouth - before moving away and gathering up his belongings. "You're paying." He pointed to the half finished Bubble Tea in his stride and moved towards the door. "I'm holding you to every last word Pitch, I hope you realize that."

"That's nice." Pitch spoke offhandedly as if he was saying_ 'Please, I can do much better then that.' _while he ignored Jack's statement. "Hurry up and run to school my little bravado loving child, before your teachers begin to question where you are." He was teasing, joking and perhaps being slightly discourteously condescending all in once – Jack's brow furrowed in a bit of inward anger.

"I'm not a child Pitch...and if you treat me like one don't expect for me to give you too much attention." Jack grinned in response and left the cafe in a seductive stride, a little too much shake in his hips considering he was in public but he knew exactly where Pitch's eyes were just then and failed to care until he reached the front of his school, luckily right on time to get swept up in a massive wave of flooding teenagers in a non-voluntary rush to get to their classes. _'So wait...this means that it__'__s kind of serious right?' _He thought as he struggled to move out of the stream of classmates and towards his first class. _'You don't usually masturbate to a specific person you know, with them knowing about it and standing like ten feet away without it being serious right?'_ Jack wished he had more relationship experience to help him deal with these kinds of things...

–

On the opening gates of the high school campus, an unseen observer of Jack and Pitch's romantic meeting scrolled through the numerous photos she had taken of the two. The quality was remarkable and she was confident that no one – not even Jack and Pitch could deny the truth of these photos. It was almost aggravating how people just walked by the cafe without a second thought – not paying attention to the two rather popular men inside who were obviously having an intimate moment.

It didn't matter though.

She had proof.

And she was going to use it.

* * *

Fun fact: This is the first chapter where I think I didn't feel it with annnnnngst, and the first one where I can say its titled by a really 'feel good' and 'loving' song, even though I'm not a big fan of it. The chapter after this one is the precursor to our ANGST CLIMAX...our first angst climax anyway so...

Be Prepared!


	7. Calm Before the Storm

"_I'm not a child Pitch...and if you treat me like one don't expect for me to give you too much attention." Jack grinned in response and left the cafe in a seductive stride, a little too much shake in his hips considering he was in public but he knew exactly where Pitch's eyes were just then and failed to care until he reached the front of his school, luckily right on time to get swept up in a massive wave of flooding teenagers in a non-voluntary rush to get to their classes. 'So wait...this means that it's kind of serious right?' He thought as he struggled to move out of the stream of classmates and towards his first class. 'You don't usually masturbate to a specific person you know, with them knowing about it and standing like ten feet away without it being serious right?' Jack wished he had more relationship experience to help him deal with these kinds of things..._

–

_On the opening gates of the high school campus, an unseen observer of Jack and Pitch's romantic meeting scrolled through the numerous photos she had taken of the two. The quality was remarkable and she was confident that no one – not even Jack and Pitch could deny the truth of these photos. It was almost aggravating how people just walked by the cafe without a second thought – not paying attention to the two rather popular men inside who were obviously having an intimate moment._

_It didn't matter though._

_She had proof._

_And she was going to use it._

–

Jack struggled through school to focus on his work, a mixture of happy post-orgasm enfeeblement and confirmed relationship based excitement coursing through him for a majority of his busy day running through his classes and somewhat completing his work. He was fortunate enough this time to be paying enough attention to class to know when it ended and leave without totally embarrassing himself in front of his school mates – not that he really cared that much about what they thought of him.

During lunch he picked at his food, more and more questions about his mysterious lover poking about in his brain. He wanted to know more about him and spend more time with him to get to know him better, it was strange for him. He really didn't care much about his classmates unless he was trying to keep up appearances with them but he was willing to bend over backwards to please this man who he didn't even know much about...

He poked the over-expensive lunch again with a pout and thought more of Pitch until he was yanked out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Hey Jack!" Jamie's wide smile appeared in view and the white haired boy nearly jumps out of his seat in surprise and shock, completely forgetting he was still even in school.

"Oh hey Jamie...long time no see?" Jack put on a good face for his friend, the incurring awkwardness of their relationship didn't stop with Pitch walking into his life – if anything it got worse since he had something more serious and current with him rather then Jamie.

Jamie pouted and gave Jack a sideways look of confusion before he leaned in a bit closer, whispering though the loud cacophony of the lunch room. "We walked into history class and into the cafeteria together, standing right next to each other and you didn't see me?"

Jack swallowed and looked away, feeling a little bit guilty from his lack of attention, even as he tried to stay more focused in school while also thinking of Pitch he still couldn't pay attention to his surroundings with enough alertness to even recognize his only real friend in school. "Sorry."

"What's been up as of late with you?" Jamie asked curiously, nervously rubbing his hands together while he asked the question while the young Frost took a moment to see that Jamie wasted no time in getting to the root of things.

"Nothing man-"

"Don't bullshit me." His voice was dangerously low and he looked at Jack with a heated glance. "I've known you since grade school, you've never acted like this." He spoke low and quiet with a level of anger that carried a hint of concern. Jamie was honestly worried about him...why didn't it feel like a generally good level of concerned though?

"It's really nothing Jamie." Jack mirrored Jamie's upset expression and decided he was going to lead the conversation away from himself. "I'm fine, but are you okay? You seem like your a little off dude..."

The way Jamie's eyes narrowed in his direction and examined his face gave him a clear indication: he wasn't falling for it. He stared at Jack and opened his mouth just a sliver before closing it again and just continuing to look. The other just grinned absent-mindedly for a moment before looking back down at his unfinished food that had all of a sudden become much more interesting then the surrounding area.

"Whatever." Jamie suddenly shot up out of his seat and left as quickly as he came, striding out of the lunch room without taking a single look back to see Jack's shocked expression.

_'What...just happened?'_ Jack asked himself as he got up to dump his unfinished lunch away, now uninterested in it and trying to replay the entire conversation again in his head but finding nothing that would bring up that much anger in Jamie that he would walk away from the conversation like that...

Jack kept an eye out for Jamie as he walked to his next group of classes but couldn't find him until his last class of the day: Biology. He tried to get his friend's attention and he was absolutely sure Jamie noticed him trying but the auburn haired man refused to reciprocate. Even after the class when Jack tried to get a hold of his friend after class, looking around for him as many students evacuated the school like it was a burning building, he couldn't find him.

_'Maybe I can get a hold of him some other time...' _He silently hoped and left the campus, still wondering what exactly was going on while he walked back from school, hands in his pockets and hood covering his head until he noticed that he was approaching Cafe Claussen. He practically ran up to the building, pulling off his hood and entering the place with a smile on his face, scanning the crowd of teenagers for a unique but familiar face that he always enjoyed seeing.

Nothing.

No one in the cafe was even wearing gray.

_'Great. I guess I'll see him later then.' _Jack thought to himself as he begrudgingly left, putting his hood back up and trudging home feeling more then a little upset and confused.

For the next few days, until Friday, Jack lived in a blissful but strange sort of peace. On one hand, his father wasn't drinking, he could actually finish his work in a minimal amount of time with little struggle and he completed his history test with a perfect grade second time round. He actually felt like he was putting on a tiny bit of weight after finishing the left over pizza one night and sitting down to do something that he hadn't done correctly or without being bothered in so long that he almost forgot how: he sat on his bed, opened up his laptop, queued up some of his favorite show: Legends of the Hidden Temple on YouTube and he _relaxed_. Not a temporary _'Okay...just calm down Frost' _but multiple hours of nothing but him and _his _interests. It was absolute bliss, he even got him and Mary some Party Cake flavored ice cream in a silent celebration for their ability to unwind.

But on the other hand Jamie wasn't talking to him and despite making five trips to Cafe Claussen – two going to school, two coming from school and another after feeling a little antsy at home and wanting to just double check – he hadn't found hind nor tail of Pitch. Even after asking Toothiana about his possible whereabouts her only answer was _'I'm sorry, but I really don't know jack about him'._ Whether she was taunting him, joking or just didn't know his name and actually meant that as what it was Jack didn't know but he was absolutely sure he wasn't ever going to tip her. Ever.

It was Friday night at around 8:30 when Jack pouted and lay on his bed, rather upset and angry from feeling rejected with his lack of contact with Pitch that he decided to check _one last time_. He was sure that a few of days with no contact really didn't mean the absolute end to their relationship but this was the first one that Jack thought he could really take seriously and it was a flimsy one at that. They hadn't even kissed yet – he thought it was more flirting to pass the time then any actual emotional connection. He wanted something deeper then that with Pitch, he realized. He wanted to know more about him, kiss him, touch him -

Before he could even finish that thought he was out the door, giving the excuse that he was off to see his study partner about some additional schoolwork before the weekend. Luckily with his age he could go out this late at night without being overly questioned about it and practically ran to the cafe with some little last light of hope gleaming in his eyes that maybe Pitch would be there, sitting there in a dark but classy or at least good looking attire in a booth alone, book held close to face with eyes moving merrily and slowly across the pages with familiar reading glasses donning his face...

It was a five minute full blown run across not-so-crowded streets to reach the cafe and almost collapse through the door. '_Need more exercise...' _Jack thought before looking about at the few, sparse faces in the place with not a single hint of gray amongst them. '_Thought so...of course he wouldn't be here. Probably got sick of me._' He reasoned before leaving as quickly as he came. He knew he was probably overreacting to the lack of seeing him but part of him still hurt inside – he always that the Pitch would be there when he really wanted to see him, like he was _put there_ specifically for him. He knew it was a selfish thought but at the same time he wanted to see Pitch so badly that he felt like he could be selfish, just this once.

He went back home, disappointed and lied to his parents – saying his study partner wasn't home before he crawled upstairs and returned to bed, discarding his sweatshirt in favor of partial nuditybefore falling into the bed in exhaustion. The run had taken more out of him then he thought it would...

He curled up underneath the comfortable sheets and tried to get him mind off of Pitch for now. He thought of numerous things like_ 'He's too old for you anyway', 'He's probably got a girlfriend', 'He's too busy for a child like you', _as if trying to reason his existence and their relationship away before he drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_Fun fact: This is the first chapter where the title is one of my favorite video game songs._

_This is also the smallest chapter in forever. No apologies. Next one is about 6k words long and will be released on Saturday. One after that is even longer. Those two make our climax too :D  
_

_Also just reached chapter 24 in outlining. Woooooooo, finally got to the chapter that inspired all of this insanity. _

_Please review, comment, laugh, smile, dance and love :)_


	8. Agent Orange

_It was Friday night at around 8:30 when Jack pouted and lay on his bed, rather upset and angry from feeling rejected with his lack of contact with Pitch that he decided to check one last time. He was sure that a few of days with no contact really didn't mean the absolute end to their relationship but this was the first one that Jack thought he could really take seriously and it was a flimsy one at that. They hadn't even kissed yet – he thought it was more flirting to pass the time then any actual emotional connection. He wanted something deeper then that with Pitch, he realized. He wanted to know more about him, kiss him, touch him - _

_Before he could even finish that thought he was out the door, giving the excuse that he was off to see his study partner about some additional schoolwork before the weekend. Luckily with his age he could go out this late at night without being overly questioned about it and practically ran to the cafe with some little last light of hope gleaming in his eyes that maybe Pitch would be there, sitting there in a dark but classy or at least good looking attire in a booth alone, book held close to face with eyes moving merrily and slowly across the pages with familiar reading glasses donning his face..._

_It was a five minute full blown run across not-so-crowded streets to reach the cafe and almost collapse through the door. 'Need more exercise...' Jack thought before looking about at the few, sparse faces in the place with not a single hint of gray amongst them. 'Thought so...of course he wouldn't be here. Probably got sick of me.' He reasoned before leaving as quickly as he came. He knew he was probably overreacting to the lack of seeing him but part of him still hurt inside – he always that the Pitch would be there when he really wanted to see him, like he was put there specifically for him. He knew it was a selfish thought but at the same time he wanted to see Pitch so badly that he felt like he could be selfish, just this once._

_He went back home, disappointed and lied to his parents – saying his study partner wasn't home before he crawled upstairs and returned to bed, discarding his sweatshirt in favor of partial nudity before falling into the bed in exhaustion. The run had taken more out of him then he thought it would..._

_He curled up underneath the comfortable sheets and tried to get him mind off of Pitch for now. He thought of numerous things like 'He's too old for you anyway', 'He's probably got a girlfriend', 'He's too busy for a child like you', as if trying to reason his existence and their relationship away before he drifted off to a dreamless sleep._

–

Despite his popular and much beloved snow and ice based nickname, Jack loved the heat and warmth with the kind heat of his body after a good night's sleep being his absolute favorite type. It was beautiful, warm and welcoming wrapped in a soft cocoon of blankets that caressed his skin with nothing to bother or exhaust him especially after what occurred last night. He lay there enjoying the ball of warmth that he was wrapped in, what his body heat while sleeping had blessed him with. He didn't want to leave but he wasn't exhausted enough to go back to sleep either with the sun peeking through the open window opposite his bed and the fact that over time it was actually cooling down.

_'All good things...'_ He sighed and coiled up just a little bit more, grabbing his legs and pulling them closer to his body. He wanted to grab this second in time and preserve it as a memory of silent, early morning peace and relaxation. It just all seemed so...perfect.

He grudgingly withdrew from the blanket cocoon to welcome the too-bright-for-human-eyes morning light of his window before immediately retreating back inside with a hiss. _'Five more minutes...'_ He mumbled and whimpered, rubbing his eyes.

–

After forcefully prying himself from his bed with heavy emotional reluctance and needing the meta-physical equivalent of a crowbar to even pry and push one leg beyond the covers and onto the floor, Jack dressed himself in a different sweatshirt – a bright blue one with patterns of frost at the shoulders and around the single large pocket towards the front that he stored his phone in – and some brown pants with a few tears at the edges.

The pants made it clear to him just how thin he was for his age, almost scarily so. It looked as if he was walking on twigs and he momentarily decided that he would probably need to change before heading to school...then remembered yesterday was Friday and he finished all of his work for the weekend yesterday. _'….Oh...Oh hell yeah!' _He grinned and completely forgot about his lack of weight and instead charged downstairs, looking for a quick breakfast to chow down before he raced back upstairs and began doing literally _nothing _that was required of him for two whole days.

He looked left and right and confirmed that Will had left the home...and that Mary and Katherine were still dozing away in their respective rooms. Curiosity begged the question of where his father was...history told him the answer that he refused to believe _'out drinking.'_ Jack shook his head as he gathered enough ingredients for a quick sandwich. '_No...he's been doing great lately. He wouldn't. So much progress...' _Jack considered making something for his father to show him how proud he was of his progress, trying to brainstorm up something that would be re-encouraging and positive while not being too childish or annoyingly over-optimistic. With a turkey sandwich in hand he retreated back to his room to begin work, moving in a happy manner – that wasn't something that was required of him. It wasn't 'work' per se and he enjoyed that.

He was at his laptop screen, typing away different things he wanted to tell his father. How happy he was, how excited for the future he was, more and more positive emotions that spilled out of him and he just couldn't feel like he could contain them. He was worried he'd end up sounding too idealistic for his father even if he was trying not to.

He kept on typing anyway, letting every thought that came into his head spill out onto the screen happily before he pulled back and admired his work..._'It's...I hate it...it's too...' _Jack couldn't even place what he didn't like about it but he knew he didn't like it at all. It sounded like a five year old wrote it and had the grammar to match – he sucked his teeth and in his irritation turned off the computer before getting up, thinking of something else to do for the weekend.

Pitch probably wasn't at the cafe, Jack knew that much. Thought he admitted he was kind of dragging himself down for no reason he didn't think Pitch would be there and decided not to go.

_'Would be a waste of time.' _He rationalized with a breath before he began idle stretching to pass the time now too annoyed with his own lack of ability in writing to enjoy his laptop for the weekend, too awake to head back to sleep and feeling too alone and isolated from the rest of his 'social circle' AKA: primarily Pitch and Jamie somewhat, to bother venturing outside.

And with that thought came Pitch again, invading his mind like a parasite that he couldn't get rid of but wasn't sure if he wanted to. _'What are we even?...'_ Jack thought before ceasing his stretching and falling back into bed, letting gravity take him down. _'Is running into each other in the cafe just...a date? Or does it have more rules to it then that?' _Half of him actually wanted to run outside now, run to the safety of the familiar cafe where his 'flirtationship' partner could be found – but the rest of him doubted that he would even be there. _'Doesn't matter...will probably see him on weekdays after..'_

He decided to go downstairs and spend time with Mary, watching T.V. while waiting for their father to come back home...hopefully not intoxicated out of his mind.

–

It had been three and a half days and Jack knew that within the core of himself, he saw it all coming. With his father's temporary disappearance before the time allotted that he'd get to work and the incredible bliss he had been feeling without the responsibility of Mary's well-being being on his shoulders, he had to admit that he wasn't expecting much. He knew that was a bad thing, not to expect the best, but all want to actually hope for better had been beaten out of him with the past half a decade of drunken brawling, arguments and facades to make people think they weren't half as fucked up as they actually were.

So three and a half days of sobriety was actually something that Jack personally and piteously felt warranted a few impressed claps from his side of the room, watching through the living room window alongside Mary. Both expectantly awaiting their father who walked up onto the porch – more like climbed really but Jack decided to keep things at least moderately positive – and crawled into the room with a beer bottle in hand, reeking of alcohol and inebriation before collapsing into a pool of his own revolting, stinking vomit in the opposite corner of the room.

_'Why am I not screaming, annoyed, loud, or even moderately surprised?' _He thought mentally as he walked over and kicked the door closed, wondering in the back of his mind if his someone saw his father pathetically crawl his way back home from wherever he retrieved his alcohol from. He picked up the upset Mary, who already had tears in her eyes from seeing William like this, and took her back up to his room.

Downstairs he could hear his mother's slow gasps for breath that signaled she was trying to prevent herself from crying. _'Did you honestly think this was going to last?'_ A silent, unspoken question that Jack asked both himself and his mother. _'...no but we hoped so.' _He answered himself before biting down on his lip to avoid crying – too much emotion at once hitting him. He put Mary down on the floor and she looked up at him with her large, light brown, eyes that twinkled brightly with tears, begging him the silent question. '_Why!?'_

Jack wished he could give her a decent answer but at this point, he didn't even know if there even was one. _'Maybe this is just how things are supposed to be.__' _He didn't want to believe that – he didn't want to think that this was just bad luck or something, he wanted to think his father just didn't have the capability to get past it and wasn't meant to by some cosmic power. He shook his head down at her miserably and sat down on his bed instead. Mary walked away and left to go play with her toys, still sniffling.

For a few brief Moments he tried to trick himself into thinking that _'maybe it was destiny'_ and grinning happily at the feeling of self-deception and admired the emotional after-effects. Thinking that you just couldn't change something felt lot better then thinking that you failed or that someone else failed. Jack noticed that it removed guilt and blame from his father's shoulders and made the entire family seem like a group of martyrs for an unknown cause. _'Better to think that way for now...'_ Jack turned on his computer, ignoring the messages that came up about his letter – about how it auto saved before shutting down.

He deleted it.

–

It was about 9:30, when Jack genuinely saw that he didn't have a problem with the alcohol at all. He really didn't. It wasn't even about the drinking – it was about the violence and lack of responsibility it put into his personality, the lack of care or restraint he had when enraged and the irritability it caused. To Jack alcohol was like just about anything else, good on its own and in its own way but bad when its too much or too relied on.

And when Will began relying on the alcohol and taking too much of it, he became angry for reasons that both he and his family didn't know – or at least for reasons that the former didn't want to admit to the latter. Didn't really matter to Jack. _'Same result.'_ He thought as he heard the expected argument of his mother and father downstairs.

_'Why Will? You were doing so good!' _

_'So?'_

_ 'So?! Can't you see that what you're doing is tearing our family apart?'_

_ 'It's been getting 'ripped part' for what? Nine years?-' _The pause told him that his father had a bottle in his hand _right now_ and was taking a sizable swig of it...but the silence stretched on. It was terrifyingly, bone-chillingly quiet to the point where even Mary looked up in fearful awe and then looked at Jack, frightened.

And it just kept getting tenser and tenser with Jack sitting up in his bed, ears trying to hear some sort of sound and Mary mouthing to him _'Go look'_. He really didn't want to but he knew he didn't quite have a choice in the matter...when Will was like this Mary's safety became the primary concern.

As promptly and quietly as he could he tip-toed towards the door and made his way down the steps. For once he was glad he was so close to anorexic weight, it made his steps lighter and much less detectable on the hardwood staircase. He peeked around the corner to see what was going on and just stared in a stupor, reasoning what happened from the scene in front of him.

From the looks of it Katherine literally snatched the bottle right out of his hands, while he was still drinking it. The beer spilled on the floor and onto him but Will stayed still out of pure shock from the brazen and rather ballsy action taken by his usually sub-servant, if only by force, wife. He almost looked funny like this, mouth still open and hand still in a position to hold a bottle, even so the sheer amount of anger that had only been temporarily held down by the astonishing movement made it much less of a joke and more of a terrifying sight.

Even Katherine was shocked, mouth ever so slightly agape from her own actions. Her eyes flashing from the bottle, to Will's ruined shirt, to Will's face and back again as if she was replaying the entire scene over and over again in her head, attempting to beat it into her head that _'Yeah. I just did that. That just happened.'._

Jack just stared, waiting for some type of response from his father. Any movement or twitch could set him off at this point and the elder Frost child didn't want to miss it when it did, not because he wanted to see his mother get hit or any witness any misfortune come upon her, but he felt like he had to be there for her and see for himself how far back Will had fallen. Further more allowing him to see let him see whether or not he would need to intervene, just like last time.

He stared until his eyes burned and screeched in protest of his constant staring, only to blink once and keep on looking...and then nearly jump when one of them moved.

Katherine stepped back very slowly holding her hands up in defense of herself, already knowing the danger of her drunken husband and his violence. Her mouth opened to speak and try futilely to justify her actions as if her words would calm the raging beast that was William Frost but all that came out were mashed up jumbles of words that no one in the room – or staring into it for that matter – were capable of understanding.

William had a look in his eyes like he almost pitied her but it was shockingly strange for pity, more like a feeling of empathizing with her for her stupid actions before punishing her. An alien smirk donned his lips and he rubbed his hands together before licking his lips and letting out a small sigh. Terrifyingly casual and tranquil before he rose from his seat and slowly walked towards her, giving her slow shakes of his head in disagreement with her while raising his hand.

"Wait honey...here you can have it back." Katherine held the bottle out in surrender with a kind face, trying to somehow undo the damage she caused.

"So both you and Jack now huh?" William spoke sharply and professionally, his tone chastising and free of the inebriated slur that he carried on his voice just Moments ago. "Neither of you want to deal with my drinking?"

"Sweetie..." Katherine bit her lip, as if searching for what to say to that. Jack knew the honest answer would've been _'Yes, you need to stop' _but the answer that would let her get out of this without a new knot in her head was the one she was searching for. "I just...me and Jack want you to be as happy as possible and this.." She gestured to the bottle with a careful hand that almost trembled in fear. "This...it isn't making you happy."

"How the_ hell _would you know?"

Katherine let out a shaky sigh, Jack knew she was on the verge of tears but he felt like he couldn't move in to help her. He knew his presence would just exasperate the situation. "I...just...just look at yourself!" She practically screamed through the massive flood of tears before bringing up her free hand to run over her face, attempting to remove all of the sorrowfulness from her face. "You...you don't even really _smile _happily any more. You don't spend time with the children...you hurt me and Jack-"

"And the later of those two affect me how?" William asked with a forced 'happy' smile on his lips. Jack's eyes widened and he mentally screamed in protest and shock from what that half-question half-statement implied.

"It's not just th-"

William snatched the bottle out of her hands with a knowing grin that she wouldn't stop him before he chugged down what remained of rest of the bottle, Katherine watching him sadly – unknowingly just as upset as the young man watching from the doorway of his room. He could see her visibly tense, preparing her body for a painful blow from William's hand that came with more ferocity then what Jack even thought possible.

William pulled his hand back, as far back as he could and back-slapped Katherine so hard that Mary squealed in panic from upstairs, as if feeling the impact of hardened open palm upon cheek herself and Jack nearly fell over upon hearing it. Katherine fell to the floor, grabbing her face and screaming in response from the impact, more from the astonishment of the hit then the actual resulting pain.

For the past nine years, William had been abusive, rude, evil and sometimes shockingly manipulative to his family. He'd drink, hit them, scream at them, blame them for everything. However, Jack knew his father always had a certain level of decency. He never _ever_ did four things: 1. Hit Mary. 2. Be jobless 3. Draw blood if he became violent. 4. Hit _anyone_ in a place that would be visible to the public. Even William had his decency Jack realized...but now...

With that last one, that last unspoken rule against William's violence being broken, he didn't even know who he was looking at anymore. There wasn't a limit to what William could possibly be doing or plan to do to them – at least not for Jack at this point - it was like a chained up inhumane brute had finally been let loose upon the household. Jack knew one thing though.

He wasn't going to just sit there and watch William pummel his mother like that. He moved directly after the sound of his open palm against her face hit his ears, dashing in front of his fallen mother to defend her and forming a human blockade between her and Will.

"And of course you'd move in." Will spoke with a sense of spite in his voice.

"Yes. Of course I'd move in. I'm the only man in this house that actually gives a damn about Katherine." Seeing his mother just suddenly get hit like that made him not give a damn about his own personal safety or the entire 'keeping the family together' hopes anymore. He didn't care about anything having to do with Will in that moment – he loved his father. He really did. But Jack had enough.

"Of course you are."

"Get out." Deadpanned speech as Jack realized his position. William had always been rougher on him then his mother in fights, he could only imagine what he would possibly do to him.

"Excuse me?"

"I said _get out_." A bit more force behind it then before – but Jack knew he really only had one thing to back it up with.

"It's my house."

"And you need to leave."

"Or what?"

"Or..." Jack produced the phone from the front of his shirt and dialed three numbers quickly, placing his finger over the 'call' button and then displaying it to William. "I'm calling the police."

The other two people in the room looked at Jack like he was the one who slapped his mother into next week. Jack knew he was messing around with some dangerous forces here but at this point he didn't care. William wasn't trying to get better – he was only getting worse and worse as time went on and he was _tired_ of being forced to just deal with it as it came. He was tired of having to play father to Mary, as much as he enjoyed it it wasn't his job nor something he had the ability or capacity to do efficiently. He was tired of being a punching bag whenever William decided to get mad over the littlest of things – or better yet from nothing at all. He was _sick of it._

But they were the ones who were staring at him like he was a madman. "You're joking." William said, his voice tinged with the slightest bit of disbelief mixed with a moderate amount of fear.

"I'd prefer not to." Jack said in total open honesty. He didn't want to do this but things weren't changing for good on their own. "But you don't give a fuck about any of that and you're getting worse. Mom hasn't done a damn thing to you. None of us have. We never did. But you hit us anyway. We're sick of it. I want you gone."

"Then do it." William dared him, hand balling up into a fist.

"Oh no." Jack shook his head with a grimace that betrayed the tense situation and his own upset emotions that things actually had so quickly escalated to this level. "I've already made my play. The whole thing hinges on you now. Hit me or anyone else in this house and we call the cops, go get out and go relax a little and come back to talk and we can all just go back to some semblance of normal." If Jack had time to think that last part of his speech over again, he'd almost laugh from the comedy of it. _Normal._ Like they ever were normal since William's drinking habits went from happy to violently enraged. He didn't even know what normal _was_.

"..." The way his father stared at him, Jack knew which on the ones he was about to choose.

Needless to say, the hard impact of William's fist to the right side of his face knocked him over but his fingers pressed into the call button.

_'911 What's your emergency?' _Jack collapsed backwards onto his now screaming mother's body while his father rained hard blows onto his stomach and chest, forcing him to cough loudly and retch in pain and agony. He hoped he wouldn't have to actually tell them what the emergency was.

"_Fucking_ brat." William screamed, his voice ripping and tearing apart from his own dumbfounding ire as he stomped on Jack's lower stomach, making the young frost's body jerk upwards and coil up around the point of impact in pain while his face distorted and his vision grew blurry. The world seemed to be going dark around him and whether it was death or just mere unconsciousness he didn't know but the last thing he could acutely remember was the sound of sirens speeding straight up the street.

–

He awoke to the face of his mother and the rainbow of different emotions that her face showed...well the right side of her face in any case. The left side of her face was purple and swollen, her eye on that side being near unable to open – all he could see was a small slit of her pupil. Jack felt a tugging in his abdomen, alongside the excruciating ache of his lower stomach and the want to vomit or crawl out of his skin from the sheer painful sensation of it alone but the sight of Katherine's face made him feel as if maybe he got it the best out of the both of them.

He tried to speak but all that came out was a choking sound of agonizing pain that caused a frown to come to his mother's lips, whether out of displeasure from what Jack did by calling the police or out of pity from his pain Jack couldn't tell nor did he want to...he just wanted to go back to sleep. With an open mouthed sigh he pushed himself up, trying not to push his weight onto mother physically – he already knew he did that enough emotionally or mentally with the phone call.

"I-" Despite his best attempts to speak words were hard to form, sending painful shivers up and down his abdomen and chest and before Jack knew it he was about to collapse again, the world spinning and shifting around him and underneath his very feet while everything seemed to be going dark all at once. He steadied himself, leaning on the couch for support as he slumped down and tried to calm his queasy stomach before speaking again, swallowing down acidic bile that sorely burned in his throat and made him want to eat something to dismiss the pain – but he didn't want to exasperate whatever internal injury was currently harming him down there. "I need to go rest."

"...Just go." His mother spoke expressionlessly while she stared intensely at the ground, paying her struggling son no mind while rubbing her hands together, licking her dry, cracked lips to smoothness again and biting away any skin out of sheer nervousness. Her mind was lost in thought, Jack knew and chose not to bother her with questions of his father and what was about to happen in their lives...

Jack nodded at what he could have considered permission to leave and slowly, tortuously made his way across the room and up the steps – having to crawl up and into his bed, nearly wanting to vomit all over the floor before letting sleep take him...it reminded him of his father..._'No...of William.' _he silently thought before wrapping the blankets around himself as best he could and letting himself doze off to someplace far away, where he didn't have to see how what he did affected his life.

He awoke, in the early morning of Saturday with much less pain in his lower stomach – although there was a harsh, sharp throbbing that was still there whenever he did...anything. But he could ignore it, this wasn't the first time he had to deal with physical pain. He decided he had slept long enough...he needed to see the consequences of what he did and try to deal with it.

He got up and out of bed, pushing himself from the bed and looking downstairs to the doorway that lead out – he could see the lights of the living room beaming through the crack between the door and the floor.

Mom was still up.

With careful, slow steps her made his way back downstairs – his stomach growling for food but Jack not being keen on actually eating anything. He was nervous and tense again. For all he knew his father came back, hungry for blood against him...

_'I need to see...'_

He pushed the door open and heard his mother move from wherever she was and back up to the farther leg of the couch, pointing knowingly to the free space on the opposite side. Jack could already tell he was in for an earful, her movements were too sharp and sudden for them not to be.

He walked over with his hands in his pockets and his eyes pointed to the floor – he didn't even want to look at her face right now. Her anger would piss him off from his own feelings of entrapment and her injury would make him feel guilty...

"Jack." She spoke quietly and softly as the young male Frost took his seat, body pointing towards the lifeless television on the other side of the room with hands holding one another as he leaned forward – sitting down in this position with his injuries hurt him in places he didn't even know existed. He wanted to scream and scratch at the thin layer of skin that separated him from the bruised and battered muscles of his abdomen but he couldn't find the heart to do so nor the power to move under his mother's increasingly judgmental gaze.

"Yes Mom?"

"Why?"

"He hit you-"

"And that's different because?" She was getting louder now...

Jack could play the intimidation and volume game too – no matter how much his chest complained. His face was starting to complain as well, aching if he made any type of expression other then a blank poker face..."Mom humor me for a second. When was the last time he hit us in a place where other people could _clearly see it. _Your face isn't exactly something you can hide normally without getting weird looks Mom. Maybe in other places in the world but not here."

"Alright?" She spoke as if it was something obvious, something normal and nonchalant. "But how does that justify anything you did? Do you even have any _idea_?"

"Mom. He hits you. That's a given. But today...today he _hit_ you, like actually with an intent to harm you in a different way. There's a difference-"

"You didn't have to get involved!" She yelled, raising herself out of her seat in anger. "It wasn't even any of your goddamn business!"

"So you would've preferred it if I just stayed out of it and watched him brutalize you? Beat you bloody probably?" Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose as his voice grew from stressed out to just plain pissed. He could never understand his mother's logic or way of thinking when it came to his father and his actions. He thought she would _understand_ the logic behind his decisions – he thought that maybe she would finally maybe wake up and realize that she didn't have to deal with William's b-s any longer. _'__But apparently I'm wrong about that.__'_

"Jack can't you think ahead just a little bit? You know if they keep him we don't have any income, any stability or _anything_. They saw your _face_ Jack. Mine too." Katherine took a deep breath and turned away from Jack. "And let's just assume they _don't_ keep your father in. Just think of how angry he'll be with us then when he comes back!"

"Then don't let him come back here!" Jack yelled, grasping his forehead as the beginnings of a headache spiked through his skull like an icy bullet that shattered to pieces right in the dead center of his brain. "Press charges, get a lawyer using all that money he _wasn't spending on us_ from that over-comfortable job that lets him come in drunk and wasted half the time! Hell, let's go move in with one of our relatives Mom! Uncle North constantly calls and says he would love it if we visited and as _fucked up_ as our family is-" Katherine tried to open her mouth to speak but Jack pointed at her. "- And don't even _**TRY**_ to say we're not, because I can just as easily push you into the bathroom and make you look in a fucking mirror to prove it – we have almost _too much family _that we can rely on."

"It's not that simple Jack-"

"Then enlighten me for once without just getting angry and asking me if _'I know what I did'!_" He mocked her, faking her voice in ire. "I did the only thing I could her-"

"You're an idiot you know that?" Katherine glared him down, a look only a mother could give her son. "You don't have the slightest idea of how the world works or what to do in it. You're a stupid, annoying, whiny little _child_ Jack. You're immature and too fast to act, you don't even realize what you've done half the time." Jack took a deep breath and bit his lip. Katherine's insults weren't like his fathers – they were rare and carried more weight because she really was the only person who lived under about the same conditions as Jack. She was the person who would and rightfully should sympathize with him at times like this...it stung to hear her say these things. "I swear...sometimes I'm ashamed I even had a son like you." He hid his face in his hands and let his head droop down, trying to hide his feelings. It didn't take much for his mother to break him down. "You're a failure kid, honestly..."

Jack took in a deep breath and spoke clearly and loudly, trying to hold back the breaking of his voice. He was trying _so hard_ these past years to just keep it together, to just relax and hold it all in..."Well..." His voice broke and he got up, trying to hide his upset face from his onlooking, enraged mother.  
"maybe I wouldn't be if my parents raised me." He checked his pockets for his phone – safely tucked away right in the front pouch of his icy sweatshirt and headed to his room, unseen tears streaming down his cheeks as climbed the steps and left the living room and his mother alone with a slam of the door. If his mother had the heart to chase after him she certainly didn't have the energy.

And she probably didn't understand either. He shoved his aching face into one of the pillows and cried, unable to stifle the tears as they poured from his eyes. He didn't want to be here, there wasn't a single person old enough or logical enough to understand or even try to. There wasn't someone he could actually run to to help him or heal him, or try to make him better.

His mind screamed to him._ 'Pitch.'_

Jack got up and looked to his window – already opening and beckoning to him. He practically jumped through the small square. All doubt removed from his mind. Pitch would be there.

He had to be.

Jack needed his stability, his snark and sarcastic charm, his attractive face, his unique looks – someone who could understand him, someone who _BONDED_ with him rather then sat him down on the opposite end of a couch to yell at him.

He dashed to the cafe and even as his limbs complained and his face ached in the late night coldness that was slowly breaking through to the early Sunday morning...

He kept on.

* * *

NOTE: This is a special two part chapter that I originally had planned to have put into two parts – but I figured I shouldn't torture you like that.

Love me.

Song is Agent Orange by Necro.

Funfact: This is the first chapter that the song really somewhat matches up with the character's in-story behavior.


	9. Kiss from a (Pitch Black) Rose

_And she probably didn't understand either. He shoved his aching face into one of the pillows and cried, unable to stifle the tears as they poured from his eyes. He didn't want to be here, there wasn't a single person old enough or logical enough to understand or even try to. There wasn't someone he could actually run to to help him or heal him, or try to make him better._

_His mind screamed to him. 'Pitch.'_

_Jack got up and looked to his window – already opening and beckoning to him. He practically jumped through the small square. All doubt removed from his mind. Pitch would be there._

_He had to be._

_Jack needed his stability, his snark and sarcastic charm, his attractive face, his unique looks – someone who could understand him, someone who BONDED with him rather then sat him down on the opposite end of a couch to yell at him._

_He dashed to the cafe and even as his limbs complained and his face ached in the late night coldness that was slowly breaking through to the early Sunday morning..._

_He kept on._

–

He was breathing hard and shallow by the time the usual unintentional meeting place of him and Pitch at last appeared in sight. His chest heaved with effort and struggle, pain almost becoming the bane of his run with only the thought of once again meeting Pitch being his drive forward. With a wild smile of success and victory he pushed through the front double doors of the cafe - still open and still serving.

_'24/7' _ Jack celebrated and scanned the few people that were there. No gray skin or charming familiar face, just a bunch of people who sat away from each other or were flirting with one another. A blonde young girl in a booth alone, who looked at him with curious eyes before looking back down as tapping away on her phone, suddenly uninterested. A couple behind them kissing each others' time away. Another man just blankly staring out the window behind them...nothing and no one of interest...

His heart sunk to his pained stomach before he got entered a booth in the darker and more well hidden part of the cafe...he may not see Pitch again but he'll be damned if he just heads home now. He couldn't bear to be in the same house with that woman, suffocating under her gaze, in her sight, with her stinging, painful words that sliced and cut at him until all that was left was the remaining ribbons of what she saw as a 'failure kid'. With a viciously powerful shake of his head he pushed those thoughts away and try to focus on something else...

Anything else.

"Ey you." A distinct accent coming from the waiter of the cafe echoed through the room and straight to Jack's ears.

_'Australian.' _Jack mentally whispered before looking up at the waiter who stood above him, impatient and suspecting of him – obviously with a short temper for him.

"You here to buy something or loiter about?" He asked, his notepad at the ready with the blue pen in his hand tapping impatiently. Jack wondered why the man was so aggressive to try and get him out, was it because he looked so beat up? He only had a bruised cheek, old looking hoodie sweatshirt and sitting in the back part of the cafe with his hands hidden – _'Oh...'_ The waiter probably thought he was a criminal or armed robbery waiting to happen.

"I'm here to-" He checked his pockets and then mentally cursed. He forgot to bring money with him just in case Pitch _wasn't_ here! "loiter I guess..." he whispered, his voice low and heavy.

"Then do it elsewhere. Maybe you can do that in the daytime with Toothiana but not on my shift."

"Alright just let me catch my bearings and I'll be out of your way-" Jack said, trying to stall for a little more time away from home.

"Nope. Not here mate. You can collect your bearings on the sidewalk." The pen impatiently pointed towards the door and the server stepped away. "You've got fifteen seconds to go before I throw you out m'self. Resist and I'll just call the cops."

_'Of course...'_ Jack quietly whispered under his breath, considering pressing the issue of needing to stay and stall for more time...but he didn't feel as if he could even physically argue with him anymore. He forced himself out of the seat and as slowly as he could without incurring the server's wrath, he walked to the door...

And stopped in front of it as it opened to reveal a familiar face, donned in a simple navy blue collar turtlenecked sweater, snug black pants with a gold buckled belt...and he seemed just about as surprised to see him.

Pitch looked at Jack as if he had turned into a ghost – Jack already knew he was inspecting his face, generally the large purplish bruise on his cheek caused by his father's fist and lowered his head in shame and sadness, not wanting to see his disturbed face. A gray hand grasped his chin and pulled his head up by force and Jack relented – not having the strength to fight back against Pitch's touch, something he profoundly wanted at this moment but not like this...

"Pitch, you don't usually loaf about 'ere. The kid didn't have the cash to pa-"

"And so kicking him out at eleven thirty at night was an intelligent decision?" Pitch's eyes rapidly went from concerned and pointed towards Jack to powerful ire-filled chromatic lasers focused on the rather taken aback employee who didn't bother to answer: he must have known how wrong it was to not consider the possibility that maybe Jack needed help and wasn't trying to rob the business. "Honestly Bunnymund. Your selfishness is revolting." From the corner of his eye Jack could see Bunnymund – oh Christ he hoped that was a silent joke from Pitch because that name was too funny to actually be real with his exhaustion being the only thing stopping him from saying anything about it – visibly twitch. Pitch's hand went from powerfully grasping his chin to gently caressing his face for a brief second before letting his hand fall away. "I'll order for him, later. Give us a half hour or so and I'll pay you double for whatever we order. In the mean time do _try_ to be a bit more open minded." Jack pushed himself up against the hand before it fell away from his face...

He wanted more contact and unknowingly whimpered in complaint at the loss of it. Pitch must have heard because he then placed a hand on Jack's shoulder and lead him to the same booth in the back that the young injured man was sitting in not forty seconds ago. Pitch let Jack go in first before going in himself, sitting on the same side of the booth for once, with the younger of the two being unlucky enough to have to either look at Pitch or reveal the beaten side of his face.

He chose the former and looked directly at Pitch's eyes. They were filled with a sorrowfulness he couldn't ever hope to read or predict, something pitying but at the same time emotionally unhinged on a deeper level then what Jack could ever hope to read. He wanted to look away, wanted to turn his face and act like nothing happened but the way the older man was looking at him made him feel cared for in a way that he hadn't felt before.

And tears began streaking his face before Pitch turned and embraced him, his cautious, soft and affectionate hands slowly taking their time to wipe away and clear the tears from his eyes. The more contact he got, the more he wanted and he pressed his body closer to his sympathizer's until mere tear wiping became a full on embrace that Jack didn't want to end. Feeling the warmth of Pitch beyond the thin articles of clothing calmed him down and it wasn't long before he found himself ceasing his tears and just enjoying the feeling of hugging the man he came to view as his last human being that could truly ever understand him.

"Would it be wrong to ask what you would like to drink or eat?" The older whispered with a smile that Jack could hear in his melodic voice.

"...No...not at all...but we probably shouldn't stay like this forever." A slight joke that ended with him rested himself just a little more into Pitch's body, as if saying _'we shouldn't...but I really want to.'_.

"Yeah my waist is cramping up from the angle..."

For some reason he couldn't understand Jack tiredly chuckled at that while he pulled away, smiling with thanks to his..._'What are you even?...I don't even know anymore...'_ He thought, taking an inhale before speaking again. "Umm...can I get some coffee cake or something just to help settle my stomach for a second?"

"Is that all you want? They serve ice cream, pie, cake...be a little imaginative for your own sake."

"But...you're paying for me." Jack's voice came out quieter and more unsure about himself then he wanted it to. He wanted to convey some force as if him getting something was an impossibility.

"And I have more then enough in my back pocket right now to buy you everything on the menu at triple the price. Stop worrying and treat yourself." Pitch's voice carried with it force, a driving _want_ for Jack to order something for himself. Something inside of Jack told him that if he didn't order something nice for himself, Pitch would and would almost force him to eat it.

"...Can I have some vanilla ice cream?" He whispered faintly, folding his arms on the table and then hiding his head in it, already knowing what was going to happen...and not caring as much as he previously would.

"Bunnymund!" He raised his hand. "Two extra large vanilla ice cream bowls. Bring all the syrup toppings."

"I don't like toppings." Jack groaned, his stomach aching for some type of substance now despite his strong resolve not to eat anything earlier today. It wasn't that he really didn't want any, he just wanted to preoccupy his mouth to stop him from trying to eat the table before him – supporting legs and all.

"They aren't _for_ you." Pitch said in a 'matter of fact' type of way before turning to Jack and giving him a light and playful grin, trying to convey that he meant no harm. "You can have some if you want and..." Pitch raised a single finger as a sign to wait before he turned back to the counter, yelling additional orders. "_Warm the caramel first!"_

"...Can I have some?" Jack turned to Pitch, head still laid down on the table with the bruised portion of his face shown completely to Pitch.

The pity returned to his comforter's eyes as he saw the injury and Jack immediately looked away again, hiding his face from his sight.

"Please don't do this." Jack whispered. "I don't want to talk about it. It's not a nice story, as you can imagine and I'm too tired and hungry to even-"

"I never said you had to talk about it." He reassured the younger man with a kind caress, the light and delicate touches of fingers on the back of his neck that sluggishly moved upwards before his fingers softly scraped against his scalp upwards in the tangled in the mess of white hair that Pitch wordlessly admitted he found beautiful and mesmerizing, something like untouched, perfect, settled snowfall.

"I really don't have to?" His voice resembled Mary's at that moment, especially when their parents were fighting. Small and meek, questioning nervously and not wanting to get into any trouble for anything, wanting just to merely ask and receive.

"I'd like it if we could. I know you must think I'm weird for wanting to or...caring really...but I really want to understand you better." Jack tensed potently, like a shiver had gone up his spine, before he relaxed immensely, shoulders drooping down a little bit and his breathing relaxing more.

"Why do you really care?"

"I already told you Jackson, this isn't novelty."

"We're a thing now?" Jack ignored the fact that Pitch just used his full name, he didn't know any better about what that name meant to him.

"Not unless you want to be." He restfully reassured him and kneaded his scalp with careful, deft fingers to unwind him.

"So yes we're a thing...and if you keep doing that I really will fall asleep." Jack grinned and turned to look back up at Pitch, no longer having that much concern about his cheek as he did before.

"My apologies...and here comes our ice cream." Pitch smiled and showed off a mouth of surprisingly jagged but healthy, strong and white looking teeth as the ice cream was deposited onto their tables along with a large amount of small squeeze bottles of ice cream toppings –'strawberry', 'chocolate' – and a small plate of streaming dark beige colored liquid.

_'Caramel'. _Jack smiled and reached over, dipping his fingers into the liquid with a mischievous grin and Pitch opened his mouth to complain but Jack spoke before he could.

"Well we need to do something to commemorate the event don't we?" Devilish, speedy digits spread the warm confection over Pitch's moist lips with one finger and then over his own with another. He saw the look in his lover's eyes change into one of want...and Jack puckered his lips, taking his time to finish just to watch his opposite's mouth water.

The moment he dropped his palm from his mouth Pitch lunged in, pressed their sticky mouths together with more passion than Jack believed himself capable of physically handling. Hands on Jack's lower back and on the back of his head pushed them together and the young Frost opened his mouth to gasp...then everything just became incredible.

Pitch's tongue ventured into his mouth and the strong, sweet taste of caramel invaded his mouth. Jack swore in a huff of breath before his partner took the more dominant way of force and licked at his tongue, coaxing him to come play by rubbing up against him.

_'Mmmm...damn it...it's on.' _Jack thought mentally, accepting Pitch's love and embrace as both an act of passion and an unspoken challenge. Before he knew it his tongue was wrapped around Pitch's own skilled organ and he began allowing his hands to venture, feel and touch the skin of his lover. They both felt back on the seat of their booth, practically laying on it and the loud moans didn't go unnoticed, drawing the eyes and attention of the other cafe goers. The taste of caramel on the tongue only helping to heighten their arousal before they at last had to part, panting for breath and staring into each others eyes with limitless deprivation and minimal restraint.

"Ahem." Bunnymund said, back turned to the overheating couple, obviously too embarrassed to stop them or even face them.

Jack's face went bright red and he looked away from Pitch with a mortified look on his face. Pitch didn't seem to be bothered to give a damn.

"We really shouldn'tve done that..." The younger lover's voice was down to a whisper as he grabbed some of the bottled caramel and spread it on his own ice cream, now suddenly hungry for some in spite of himself.

"Oh please, he's lucky I didn't have sex with you right here in the cafe." Pitch shrugged and grabbed the bottled strawberry and hot caramel to pour over his own treat.

Jack just simpered in response and ate his frozen treat delightfully, almost bouncing about in his seat with an unusual mixture of desire, hunger, pleasure and fulfilled happiness running through his veins. He and Pitch were a '_thing_'. An _'item'_. They were _something_ now! He wasn't even sure what the real difference was but just to hear that it was a mutual attraction was enough to send him onto cloud nine.

He grinned and ate another spoonful before giggling clamorously to himself.

"Happy I see."

"Yeah, been a while since I had food. Didn't think my stomach could handle it." Jack wished he could take that back as soon as he said it.

"Why what happened?" His voice was lined with concern.

"Nothing...I am kinda hungry for something else though..." Jack thought of a good, fun, quick way to switch the subject as rapidly as he possibly could.

"And what would that be?"

"Meat." He gave Pitch a knowing look out of the corner of his eye before licking his lips, taking his time with every little movement to keep his onlooker on the edge of his seat. He could see just how extreme the reaction was from the way his knuckles turned white while he gripped at the chair to the point of leaving marks and dents in the seats. Jack let the melting white cream drip down his chin – only a little drop of it before he licked the very tip of the spoon – from the sound of Pitch's intense exhales and soft, almost undetectable pleas for more he already knew where his mind was headed so Jack figured he'd indulge him a little. "_Pitch..._" He said the word with a moan carried in the same breath, running his free hand down the length of his body, lingering teasingly on his nipples and hips until Pitch mouthed to him.

"_No **more..."** _The gray gentleman bit down hard on his lip while his nails clawed the upholstery of the seat.

"Ooooh...but I wanna play _more_." He let out faint pants for more and more of the imagined touch and embrace of his lover, his hips ever so slightly shifting forward.

"Unless you want a different type of ride from the backseat of my car you'll _stop that_." He hissed quickly, almost hiding his face in embarrassment from the other cafe-goers, despite all of them being far out of earshot from him.

"That actually sounds tempting." Jack grinned in complete honesty and lowered one of his hands down to his pants, feigning as if he was getting off to his new boyfriend with gentle moans and rolls of his hips.

"You need to learn to how to behave in public..." Neither of them pulled attention to the fact that the older of the two just banged his knee up against the table while crossing his limbs.

"Ummm...I remember the last time we were here together. You flirted with me until I had to go give myself a rather happy ending."

"Really? Not how I remembered it." Jack just smirked and stared as Pitch gave him a mock surprise with a naughty grin of knowing.

"Doesn't matter..." Jack grinned triumphantly, leaning over and running the very tip of his tongue up against Pitch's lower lip. Pitch responded in kind with a gentle peck before Jack slowly leaned back to escape the range of his kiss while winking.

Pitch didn't want to give up, especially when teased...Jack grinned as he leaned up closer against the younger man and took the bait – quick as lighting on of Jack's hands grabbed a rather nice and sizable handful of the older man's ass. He let out a quick pant that resembled a desperate whine of burning pleasure before moving back, surrendering.

Jack was surprised by the sheer intensity of his need and gave the now blushing boyfriend an impish smirk..._'Oh I'll remember that...'_

–

Bunnymund threatened both Pitch and Jack with police and a painfully slow death (respectively) and eventually the two lovebirds calmed it down.

They were randomly chewing the fat when Pitch brought up his cheek again.

_'Damn it.' _Jack whispered under his breath, certain that his lover would hear but not quite caring. He knew that neither of them would want to talk about this...he didn't want Pitch to know about something so personal and disturbing...

"I know you don't want to talk about it..." Pitch anxiously rubbed the back of the neck while he read Jack's mind like an open book. "But I don't suppose you just fell down some stairs."

"Please Pitch..." Jack whined, hiding the injury again with his hands.

"Jack, at least listen to what I have to say first before you try to wriggle your way out of this." His voice was intentionally less emotional then what it was before – part of Jack could recognize that he wasn't _happy_ to have to talk with Jack about this but he felt it was necessary...like when a parent sat you down to talk about their alcohol ad-

_'NO. You're with Pitch right now. He likes you. You two are actually something now. Forget about William.' _He strained and yanked those thoughts back and centered on his other, giving him a nod to continue.

"Alright, I know that however you obtained that..." He sucked his teeth and looked away, as if annoyed by something before he looked back at the young Frost, his golden irises meeting icy blue twin snowflakes...and pausing to gaze into them for a moment, as if hypnotized. _'Beautiful...' _"Blemish for lack of a better word, you don't want to talk about it and I know what we just met but...I really want to understand what happened to you, so I can help stop it." Jack's lips curled into a frown for a half second before they straightened. Pitch had no idea what he was getting into. "I know it must be hard to talk about but it just worries me when I see someone I love with any marks of harm on them."

"Don't worry about it."

"That's not going to stop me from worrying about it and about you."

"Pleas-"

"_Jack_." The seriousness of the tone prompted an answer that begged for a question – it wasn't something the teen could just wriggle his way out of like an escape artist...it wasn't something he wanted or had to answer with a truthful statement. "I know that you're obviously having troubles at home-"

"_**You know?!**_" Jack questioned before thinking about what time it was, when the fight occurred and then replaying the evening in his head – crime news was sparse in this area so he figured that if his father, the popular family man that he was, was discovered beating his wife and kids..._everyone_ would know about it. It had been around what? Ten o'clock? Jack bet the police could've even went off and gotten donuts to come back home and see the man they just arrested on the evening news. "_How?!_" He needed to know if his family was safe, if his father really was going to prison, what was happening- the headache began in his head again, this time feeling as if his brain was boiling over inside of his skull.

"Jack, calm down." Pitch calmly grabbed him and brought him into a careful hug, sensing his inner turmoil from the looks in his eyes alone. Jack seemed to visibly relax as soon as he got closer to Pitch, even with Bunnymund practically standing directly over them with hawk-like eyes that dared them to go further. "It was just an educated guess is all, I really don't know what's going on in your life." He felt the stress completely melt off of Jack's shoulders and the pressure of his body fully relaxing into his own – he enjoyed that, but didn't vocalize it. "But that's why you need to let me in, you need to help me _see_ so that way I can help you out of it."

"Why?" His voice was muffled by Pitch's shirt but was just clear enough to hear – especially with the wetness of tears soaking through the cloth. "Why do you care?"

"Because I care about you." He whispered with more happiness in his voice then what Jack could see as believable and began trying to wriggle out of his grasp. "Yes, I know how weird you think it is, I agree. I haven't even taken you out on a real date...but I do really care about you – I don't get intimate with people I don't like."

Jack's emotions were coming in ebbs and flows to the point of exhaustion. The ice cream and sweets helped, as did the sexual tension and need...in fact he was sure he stayed awake this long purely for the latter. He wanted to talk about his issues at home, about his family, but he didn't want to get his father into more trouble...but at the same time he came here for Pitch's emotional support._'What am I even doing here? It's what – 12:30 at night? I should be heading home...'_

"If need be, I will buy you as much ice cream as you can eat for the next five years to know."

_'…'_ Snowflake eyes glanced at the emptied bowls of ice cream and then back at the door. Did he really want to be home _that_ badly? With his mother's screeching and yelling and constant berating? The answer was simple and quick: No.

And while talking about it wasn't easy, he knew it was what he needed, what he wanted. He came here with a resolve to talk to Pitch anyway – and maybe for a few other things too but that was another story entirely.

"Get me another extra large vanilla sundae with hot caramel and you're on."

He raised his hand in the air once again. "Bunnymund!"

–

He ate the frozen delight with the bounciness in his personality returning faster then what he thought it would, Pitch often dipping his fingers into the warm caramel that pooled on the side of the sweet treat and consume it with slow and deliberate licks that were both so he could enjoy the taste of what he was eating and tease Jack.

Worked like a charm and Jack's legs were crossed just as his were not fifteen minutes ago and still did now. Just the thought of all the misbehaved, naughty things Jack seemed to be able to talk about doing, allured to what he was actually capable of. It teased him to know what dirty thoughts plagued to the younger man's mind, how much he wanted Pitch to be inside of him, doing unspeakable things to his more then willing body until he was begging for mercy...and the older of the two would more then gladly oblige. He wanted to wrap his hands around that slender waist, let his fingers wander beyond the rem of those pants to tease the skin hidden for so long by such restrictive garments, pull him out of here with a seductive smirk, and take him to the backseat of his car in the nearby parking lot..._'And drive it __rough, straight__ into hi-...no...the car...drive Jack home, in my car...__after?...__**no. **__Jack's hurt. Need to find out why...' _Pitch steeled himself against getting the boy's body knelt and bent over with legs spread before him by 2 am.

"Jack. I know you think this silence will help you but..."

"Was your entire point of buying me whatever I wanted and kissing me when you saw me just to get me to speak?" Jack spoke in a clipped, impatient tone.

"Don't you _dare_ try that on me." Pitch growled with a snarl that made Jack bit his lip to prevent the gasp that left him, fearful of seeing the older man's anger. "Don't try to demonize me for this. I want you to speak because I _care_ about you."

"Kosmotis." Jack grinned and took another spoonful of ice cream before speaking, already seeing the tightening of his boyfriend's jaw increase. "I just got it. _Cosmos_." An obvious right turn to the conversation made in a desperate attempt to avoid speaking.

All previous mention of emotional rousing was gone and replaced with mirth and laughter. "You _really_ only just now get it?" Pitch knew that Jack was switching emotions and topics so quickly just to calm himself down. Wouldn't be the first time he witnessed something like this.

"Yeah..."

"I suppose you never quite found your brain from the other day hmm?" A light chuckle let Jack think for a moment that he wasn't actually considering talking about his family and home – it seemed too personal, too soon...but he could tell that he was actually distressed and concerned for his well being, for his physical safety.

"No...I suppose I didn't. But I also suppose that no matter how much I try to stall you I'm going to have to talk about it anyway..." Jack said, voice suddenly low and exhausted.

"No. But Jack, I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you to tell me everything." He placed a reassuring hand on the teen's shoulders and gave him the gentlest smile he possibly could. "You don't have to immediately let out all of your emotions now - in fact I'd say that you probably shouldn't. Things like whatever could cause this-" He looked directly at the bruised face with a look of displeasure and personal offense, as if he was the one with the swollen cheek."...they take time."

Jack didn't respond for a long time, instead staring down at the melting remnants of his ice cream. He didn't want to tell but he wanted someone to know. He wanted to feel like there was someone out there who...understood.

"Alright. I'll tell you...but you have to promise me two things."

"Yes. Anything." A warm grin of care and happiness made Jack almost smile as well.

"You have to promise me that you won't tell _anyone_ else." Pitch nodded and continued listening, extremely attentively considering the time and setting. "and that you won't...you know...judge me or my family for it."

"Of course Jack. I know better then to decide – with all due respect to you love – on someone in any way from a single story or opinion."

_'He called me 'love'.' _Jack thought before turning to Pitch and pressing a chaste peck on his lips, the faint smell and taste of caramel and vanilla making him want more and only his hardened will stopping him from taking anymore. "Alright..."

"Take your time." He spoke softly.

Jack took a calm and relaxed inhale through his nose as if mediating...and then allowed his emotions out, starting very slowly and antagonizing over every individual word as he spoke..."My father...is a drunk...he used to be a lot better then he is now." Another breather, another pause..."He was a happy drunk, believe it or not...when I was a kid I thought that it wasn't so bad but then he...he just kept on getting worse." He looked to Pitch, searching for a reason to stop – it _hurt_ to speak. "Just...perpetually worse and worse...and then my mom gave birth to my little sister Mary."

He felt a shift in the seat and whirled round to see Pitch covering his mouth with his hand. He searched his face for a look of anger or disgust but all he could see was actual shock before he pulled his gray hand away from his mouth and turned to Jack with unsettled eyes. "I'm sorry...I'm fine, go ahead."

"Well...although he would keep on promising he would whenever he seemed sober...he just never quit even though he got angrier and angrier with anything and anyone..." He licked his lips and stared into space for a moment, remembering all the times he and his mother were stuck in that guest room – the safe room – waiting with hearts full of fear for him to stop, because he came back to the present with a jolt and sighed. "We would have to hide from him sometimes..." He said before mentally correcting himself, _'All the time.'_ "It would get so bad...but mom didn't want to leave...and you know how outside sources are...even if mom could care for us-"

"Foster care and child services wouldn't be able to keep you and Mary together." Pitch finished with more deadpan in his voice then he actually meant to have.

"Yeah..." He swiftly rubbed his hands together to get his mind off of leaving the cafe as soon as possible, keeping his hands free stopped him from pushing Pitch out of the way to leave. "Then after Mary was around three or so he would..." A hard swallow before he breathed in some life-giving air to feed his lungs and help him continue. "He would fight with mom. Physically. Not so much a serious punch or kick...but some pushing around...some bruises. None on her face. None in a visible spot." Jack wiped his eyes, feeling the beginnings of tears form at the corners of his eyes. "But today he _hit_ her. He actually..._with real force_, hit her so...I threatened to call the police. He...he punched me in the face right as I pressed the button and called them. Then he just..." He sniffled and bit his lip, there something like a physical pain in his chest from just talking and he leaned closer to Pitch, wordlessly begging for contact that the older man gladly gave.

"You need not tell me anymore then what you think you can handle." He whispered quietly, letting Jack rest his head on the area in between his shoulder and neck. His breath was cold from his dessert, causing goosebumps on the exposed skin that it touched while he crawled up his neck, secretly stealing his breath and nearly making him twitch. "I love you...I don't want to hurt you. I'm not going to tell anyone else about this." Pitch looked around for any watchers or eavesdroppers. No one in sight except for a blonde girl that was sitting a ways away, still playing with her phone.

Jack took ample sniffles, trying not to cry even as tears slowly made their way down his face. "He just...beat me until I just...I just went unconscious and then the police came. I came to and then my mom...she _yells at me._ I went to help her, stop dad from hitting her and she _yells _at me like I did something wrong..." His voice wavered and fluttered about as he broke down, crying into hist open palms while Pitch embraced him, holding him as close as he possibly could.

Inwardly, he cried with him. He knew what it was like to have to take care of a child under such a condition with a parent not picking up their weight when they should...Pitch shook his head and gently kissed Jack's hair repeatedly, admiring how deceptively soft it was even while it looked so spiky, not unlike icicles. "You didn't do anything wrong..."

"My mother fucking hates me, my father's a drunk, my little sister just can't live like this." Jack shook his head, whimpering into his beloved with shaky shoulders."...my mom tells me I'm an idiot because now they might keep him and there'll be no one to pay the bills and tells me it's all my fault." He knew he was just unloading like a dump truck here, he knew that there was no sense to anything he was saying and that he sounded like a hysterical lunatic...but this is what he needed. Above him he could feel and hear the snarl in his partner's throat and tried to stifle his sounds and tears, believing to be pushing his boyfriend away already and unable to handle it anymore. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't."

"It's fine. Really." Pitch kissed him again but moved further back this time, kissing the base of Jack's neck before continuing to rub calming circles on his back.

"It's just...my family could be ripped apart by this...and it'll be my fault..." His nails scratched the sides of his head, it felt like his brain was going to explode with the boiling just becoming too much. It was too hot, his body felt too heated and not in the way Pitch would normally make it feel.

"It's not your fault." He noticed the obvious signs of panic and did all that he could to calm Jack down, gentle rubbing and whispering – but it wasn't helping visually. "Stop saying that...you don't deserve any of the blame for what happened."

"Then whose fault is it?" Jack didn't look up from his palms and the memory of Mary giving him a look that begged for the answer of a similar question burned in his eyes behind the lids. He remembered not getting an appropriate answer when he tried to reply to her there either.

"Not yours, obviously. I mean...you're only what? 18?"

"I'm 17."

"Close enough. It's not your fault. You shouldn't have to place all that weight on your shoulders to begin with. If anything you're the most blameless person in your situation right next to your sister." Jack suddenly looked up towards his companion as if forgetting that he told his listener about his little sister before remembering that he did just that not five minutes ago. Then he gazed at him for a long time, forgetting that they were even in a cafe...

_'He actually cares...' _Jack felt part of himself break down as his face approached Pitch's own – their lips meeting in a soft graze that the young wanted to save in his memory for an eternity. There was a sense of security and beautifully simple safety – a sense of _'I'll always be there for you. Always.'. _This kiss just felt so much different, so contrasting to the other one with caramel - it was more intimate, more personal. There was just a part about it that sent Jack's heart aflutter and made his stomach do back-flips before changing places with his liver. Pitch's thumb brushed against the very tip of his chin before a single finger ran down his exposed neck, here one moment and gone the next like a ghostly touch he would always remember, leaving a trail of fiery hot skin and goosebumps behind.

And then suddenly there was nothing to press his mouth against – Pitch had pulled back and was staring at him like he was a science project gone horribly wrong and so the younger man licked up lips, turning towards his half melted dessert with an unreadable look.

"I..." The sound came out as a pant from the aghast mouth of his grayish lover. Jack didn't want to look at him, as if the slightest meeting of their eyes again would make him combust in flames on the spot or shatter into pieces like glass. The moment just felt too delicate and important for him to ruin it with a mere gaze. "It's almost three in the morning Jack." An unmistakable attempt to change the subject and pull any and all attention away from the elephant in the room but Jack let it slide and nodded in agreement without looking at him.

"Yeah...we should probably get home."

"'_We?'_" Pitch grinned at Jack before smoothly gliding out of the seat, like a dark shadow. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves I see."

"We almost had sex in a cafe booth, I think I can make that mistake without being a 'little ahead' of myself." Jack said in a matter-of-fact type way as he pushed himself out of the booth, only for his vision to swim lightly and collapse into Pitch's arms.

"Are you alright?" A worried hand checked his temperature and he chuckled lightly.

"Just tired. I'm fine...just take me home..."

"Alright...and where would that be?"

"You got a car?"

"Yes..."

"About three minutes...I'll show you the way." Jack finally righted himself and got up fully without the help of Pitch – sugar could only energize the human body to such a point, sleep was eventually needed...and Jack was so happy that today was Sunday and his bed would be right there, waiting for him in his room.

–

Jack couldn't see and didn't care what model or color of car Pitch drove. All he could tell was that it was new, pretty, shiny, black on the outside _because why stop the streak when your just going so well after all..._and had a wide open backseat. The seats were nice and comfortable but as he climbed into the car, he remembered...

_'Unless you want a different type of ride from the backseat of my car you'll stop that.' _The voice echoed through his mind and he couldn't help but wish to have the energy required to flirt seductively with the man who was currently climbing into the driver's seat...but he did have enough energy to make a move.

"Pitch, what is this?" Jack pointed randomly to part of the seat without really specifying anything and his lover took the bait once more, turning around and leaning over into the back of the car from his own seat only to be pulled mouth to mouth to Jack, who took the other man out of his seat as he relaxed into the back seat, their lips moving against each other as they fell.

Pitch didn't hesitate and moved into the seat with a risque smirk against Jack's lips as he moved closer, hovering over the teen and dominating the kiss, taking his time to play around in the warm and accommodatingly wet cavern. _'Not too cute. Not at all..something much more.' _He thought as he climbed on top of the smaller lover, wanting to take him over completely with his presence, his body and his touch.

Jack moaned into Pitch's mouth before turning away from an inner mixture of nervousness and tiredness. Pitch took the opportunity to swoop down and kiss a trail down his neck, taking his precious time while he headed straight to the protruding collar bone located there. His rolled his hips into Jack's and his exhausted partner discharged a moan of such passion and want that it made Pitch think that just maybe, he was dreaming or on the verge of fucking a living angel.

"Jack...please I need to mark you." The voice was all business and enough to make the fatigued teen sit up in his seat, the back of his mind noting only briefly that Pitch's crotch was right above his on the verge of grinding down and driving him insane with mere friction and pressure alone.

"Don't..." Every nerve on his body wanted Pitch to mark him, like he was his territory, his possession, his item. Only his to mark and kiss and touch and love and drive half crazed with need when the time came, Jack almost ground his hips upward at the thought. He wanted it _so bad_...but what would his mother and perhaps his father say about that when he got home? What would it make them think and do?

Not anything good, that's for damn sure.

"Why not?"

"Parents don't know I'm gay and...you know..." It almost shocked him to say that before he reflected on the massive amount of girls that Jamie forced upon him – none of them were ugly, rude or unattractive in any way that he could see, he just didn't have any interest in them but he did have an interest for Jamie, and upon recognizing that he was gay he was surprisingly okay with it compared to how he heard some parents would react.

"Ah...true...but can't you hide it?"

"I don't want to hide it. There's no point if I hide it." Jack whispered sleepily, so comfortable with Pitch's body right above him. "If I get one I want to show it off."

"Oh..._oh that's just..._" '_Hot as fucking hell._' Pitch thought obscenely picturing Jack wearing an open collared shirt, showing off all the passionate love bites and bruises that were applied by his older lover's mouth and hands... part of him considered what stains he would make in the tapestry of his car if he and Jack just threw all caution, decency, patience and care to the wind and fucked him against the car door until he couldn't feel his lower half anymore...

It'd be worth it.

So fucking worth it.

But it was around 3:30 am.

And Jack's parents were abusive enough as it is without him being out late at night having sex with gray skinned men in the back of black cars that they'd never seen before.

_'Damn it.'_ Pitch whispered before dismounting Jack. They both groaned lightly and the older of the two took the steering wheel. "Don't fall asleep, I need you to direct me."

"Alright, first we get to my place-" Jack yawned and rolled over to his side. "Then we get into my house, completely ignore my mom and dad's existence, tear off our clothing as we make out up my steps before we snog and fuck each other's brains out on my bed."

Jack's lack of tact when it came to talking about sex...was doing nothing good for Pitch's crotch area right now."...Jack. Please." _'If you don't stop this, I will fuck you straight into the upholstery of the car.'_

"Alright _fiiiiiiiiiiine_." He resigned to tiredly leading Pitch to his place while he lazily moved and collapsed into the front passenger's seat with a pout that the other found to be the most adorable thing he's ever seen.

As he dozed off on the way there, Pitch grinned mischievously and pushed a small piece of crumpled up paper into the younger man's back-pocket.

–

Despite being a mysterious black car, driving around at about 3:30 am with a half asleep – perhaps fully—teenager in the front seat with a massive bruise on his face and no seat belt on, Pitch found that no one bothered them. '_Thank god for lazy police.'_ He rationally praised before he at last saw the house that Jack had described as his.

He couldn't believe drunks actually lived here – it was a massive light blue and white house with a beautiful front porch, a well taken care of garden on front complete with lawn gnomes and children's toys scattered about haphazardly.

"They can look really convincing." He said aloud, reading Pitch's mind like a book within a matter of seconds.

"As I can see..." If it wasn't for the fact that he knew better then to judge from appearances, he would be in a state of complete disbelief.

"Thanks for driving me." Jack leaned over and checked the windows into the living room, seeing a lack of his mother's, father's or Mary's face he swooped up and stole a quick peck from his new boyfriend's cheek before opening the opposite car door. "And thanks for everything else too." He stepped out of the car and closed it behind him, walking round the car to enter his room as quickly as he could.

_'...You have no idea how welcome you are.' _Pitch mumbled, touching the spot where Jack kissed him as if it was a sanctified point of his very being. Carefully and cautiously, with profound reverence and love. Before yanking and tearing his hands away and demanding them to stay on the steering wheel so he could drive himself home...and get rid of the damn problem that Jack had caused.

–

The young blonde scrolled through the massive amount of pictures she took of the beloved new couple in the cafe. Jack and Pitch. Kissing and touching, delicious little wisecracks and flirting were recorded on her phone as video. Enough to make a soft-core gay porno out of.

She almost wanted to.

_Almost._

But she had a much better plan for these...

_'Now...onto other things...' _A knowing grin plastered on her lips.

She got up and left, leaving an idle twenty on the table and pocketing her phone as she went, singing a little song as she left.

* * *

**Fun fact: Another term for goosebumps is skin erection.**

**And yes that is COMPLETELY true.**

**Song is Kiss from a Rose by Seal**


	10. Cold Enough to Build Fires

"_Thanks for driving me." Jack leaned over and checked the windows into the living room, seeing a lack of his mother's, father's or Mary's face he swooped up and stole a quick peck from his new boyfriend's cheek before opening the opposite car door. "And thanks for everything else too." He stepped out of the car and closed it behind him, walking round the car to enter his room as quickly as he could._

_'...You have no idea how welcome you are.' Pitch mumbled, touching the spot where Jack kissed him as if it was a sanctified point of his very being. Carefully and cautiously, with profound reverence and love. Before yanking and tearing his hands away and demanding them to stay on the steering wheel so he could drive himself home...and get rid of the damn problem that Jack had caused. _

–

_The young blonde scrolled through the massive amount of pictures she took of the beloved new couple in the cafe. Jack and Pitch. Kissing and touching, delicious little wisecracks and flirting were recorded on her phone as video. Enough to make a soft-core gay porno out of._

_She almost wanted to._

_Almost._

_But she had a much better plan for these..._

_'Now...onto other things...' A knowing grin plastered on her lips._

_She got up and left, leaving an idle twenty on the table and pocketing her phone as she went, singing a little song as she left. _

It was 3:30 in the morning when he returned home, the early Sunday sun only just now beginning to shine a little light through the darkness that the nighttime of Saturday brought with it. Jack thought it was hysterically ironic that just as the light began peeking through the darkness, he left the only person he knew he loved and understood behind.

He proceeded in discarding that thought in favor of getting his tired fingers to remember how to operate a doorknob and near collapsing against the door in weariness before remembering that the only difference between the way he was moving now and the way his father moved when he was drunk was a couple beer bottles. After that he somehow found the energy, through a strange mixture of physical strength or pure emotional hatred alone, to push the door open and enter the house.

No sign of William.

_'So...is he gone?...for good?' _Jack thought, hyped up on the adrenaline – or the fear, at this point in his life the two were indistinguishable from one another—before searching around the house for more clues as to where Will was, examining every crack and detail of the living room for evidence of _something_._ 'He may have been a wife beating, heartless destructive asshole that doesn't make me care for his safety as a human being any less.' _Jack looked down the hallway and instead sought to look for Mary before another burst of fear hit him...

What if child services came while he was out? Or if they were coming right now? Was Mary even still here?! He swore under his breath and shoved the door of Mary's room wide open, heart blasting in his ears from sheer fear alone. All that was going through his mind was Mary – _'What if she's gone?', 'Is she okay?', 'What if dad came back and-'_ He swallowed painfully, his throat now feeling tight and dry as he examined the room.

Nothing out of place...

And Mary was asleep in bed, safe wrapped in numerous blankets with her long, straight auburn hair splayed in every direction on her pillow. Her face contorted lightly in the displeasure of slowly being woken up by her brother's sudden outburst of sound before she relaxed once more, rolling onto her other side with a happy smile on her face.

Jack permitted himself to relax and touched the heated area of the upper left part of chest where his heart was located, as if willing it to cease its rampant panicking and return to normal before it exploded in his chest._ 'She's fine...' _He told himself quietly as he tip toed back out and shut the door as serenely and delicately as possible, careful not to make a sound lest he wake her.

He walked back down the hallway, his nerves settling down before he realized that he hadn't seen Katherine...he walked into the living room once again to find her sitting there. _'Did she walk right past me while I was checking on Mary?'_

"You have a habit of just randomly leaving." She stated calmly, hands folded as she relaxed, reclined on her chair and looking immensely imposing despite the swollen side of her face and her normally sub-servant attitude with Will. "So I'm guessing Will's blood really _does_ run through your veins huh?"

_'Was that supposed to be an insult or a realization that you're fucking and married to a living train wreck of a man?'_ Jack thought with a hiss under his breath before he walked onto the middle of the living room, considering multiple options. '_Apologizing? Saying what I just thought out loud? Asking where Dad is? Heading to bed?'. _Despite his vast amount of inner want to say that second one,that last one sounded like the best course of action at this point. He turned on his heel and heading up the steps to his room, completely ignoring her for the sake of keeping his sanity intact for today.

"And ignoring me. Because screw the person who brought you into this world _right?!_" The last world emphasized in a screaming tone the ended with one of the couch cushions being hurled in his general direction, missing only by a few milliseconds as the teen slammed the door behind him – his own anger at his less then currently reasonable mother making him forget that just a few moments ago he was trying to be as quiet as possible to stop his little sister from waking up.

His head hit the pillow face first before he could even reflect on it.

–

He awoke in a less then favorable position, luckily not with a knife in his stomach like he thought his mother would attempt due to that last outburst but instead with his stomach painfully twisting in soreness and the after pain that signaled that his body was healing itself.

Jack figured that since his lower stomach hadn't exploded in his body - he hoped - and he wasn't dead yet, the blows his father dealt must not have caused any severe internal damage...physically. He achingly swung his legs over the side of his bed before he crawling right back up into it. It hurt worse when he moved.

It was bad enough his mother was angry downstairs – non-soreness dulled bodily pain was too much to deal with right now. In an effort to reduce the pain he decided he'd lay face upwards...He felt something in his back pocket crumple against the sheets and in his curiosity he reached into his jeans and pulled out a piece of crisp, white notebook paper with some letters and numbers elegantly written on it in script.

_'You should save this number into your phone and call me later, since we're kind of a 'thing' now. _

_Love, Pitch.' _His number followed.

Jack stared for a while, wondering when the actual _fuck_ Pitch put something in his back pocket – he never felt the older man's hands even go near his ass after the cafe and he was sure there was nothing in his pockets except his phone...

He shrugged it away in favor of his wonder to find out whether or not he could actually reach Pitch. He pulled out his cellphone – never more glad until now that he had it – from the front pouch of his shirt and rapidly dialed the number.

It rung...

and rung...

Nothing for so long that Jack found himself growing increasingly woozy from holding his breath in wait until at last a familiar rhythmic and melodic voice that soothed and calmed his nerves came through the line, sounding just as curious as he was.

_'Hello?'_

"Pitch?"

A short pause before Jack felt he could sense the smile through the phone and hear it from his excited and delighted words. _'Jack!'_

"You're so lucky my chest was sore, otherwise I might not have found it." He thought it was obvious what 'it' was.

_'Good morning to you too... wait, why would your chest be sore?' _The question came out as both perplexed and concerned and Jack remembered that he never told Pitch the real extensive details of where and how Will had hit him, how much damage and bruising he caused beyond his cheek, the real ferocity of the beating.

"I ran into a telephone pole on the way to the cafe last night...it was dark after all." _'Obviously a bullshit lie.' _ "It left a couple bruises but I'll be fine." He nervously toyed around with the hem of his shirt, pulling it taut around the neck area to preoccupy his hands. "And good morning to you. Sorry."

_'It's fine. I wanted to hear your voice anyway...'_

Jack's heart felt as if it skipped a beat in his chest and fainted down to the pit of his belly with glee and admiration. Pitch actually _wanted _to hear his voice? _His _voice in particular? The thought of his beau – _'I can call him that now right? He is technically providing for me every time we go out...so he's my boyfriend now...yes. My beau.' _the man who belonged to no one else in the world no matter how much more intelligent, beautiful, taller, thinner, prettier then he was – wanted to hear _his_ voice. Why did he want to just giggle like a young school girl with a little baby crush at the thought? "Umm...same here I guess..."

_'OH! I just remembered something...'_ Jack was somewhat dumbfounded, the sound of Pitch recalling something sounded remotely akin to him feeling actual pleasure...he'd remember that one. _'Your father?'_

He automatically finished that in his head_ 'What happened to your father?'. _"...Good question." He let himself drop to the sheets beneath him, refusing to stay upright any more since it made his chest ache. "My mom probably knows but shes being..."

_'Less then agreeable?' _ Pitch finished for him with an exhale of sympathy.

"Yeah..." Jack let his voice trail off and a disquieting muteness took over the room and the phone call._ "_So how is your day going?" He wanted to hear Pitch's voice more – it helped to ease the rising feelings of uneasiness and light depression that would overcome him when he wasn't either completely focused on Mary, enjoying the benefits of a sober week or doing school work.

_'It's going rather peacefully but then again I haven't left my house yet so I wouldn't hold my breath.' _The sentence ended in a chuckle that Jack couldn't help but join in on. He loved Pitch's dark and anti-social sense of humor, something he couldn't help but really get behind and believe in...

"Things generally do go downhill when other people get involved, especially the people around here." He made sure that the roll of his eyes was clearly vocalized only to realize how cynical that really sounded a brief moment later, unsure and unable to tell of where that sudden burst of pessimism came from.

_'Yes indeed...I don't think that girl will ever spell self-righteous right.' _If Pitch noticed, he didn't call any attention to it and for that Jack inwardly thanked him, however his last remark had basically ended the conversation and the young man remembered that he had to think up a new one so it wouldn't get awkward and he wouldn't have to hang up.

"Hey Pitch...I was wondering about something." Jack had a new plan now, his boredom now seeping through his lack of ability to think of a new topic and giving way to his own unfulfilled and unfulfillable, hungry and less than controllable teenage libido that raged inside of himself since he was fourteen.

_'Yes?'_

"When you gave me your number...did you cop a feel?" His voice was abruptly flirtatious and teasing as he came through the phone.

_'No...should I have?'_

"I was hoping you would...I wanted you to touch me, feel me..." Jack let out a light exhale into the phone before biting his lip – an unusual concoction of embarrassed, happy and stimulated from his own less then respectable thoughts of what he wanted Pitch to do to him bubbled up in the pit of his stomach and made it's way through him.

_'Oh...my apologies. Next time I'll be sure to take my time and get a good handful hm?'_

"_Please_..." Jack purred with a roll of his hips, making his voice despairing and needy. "I need you to..." He breathlessly whispered while he ran a hand down his body, abruptly feeling too warm in his skin to do anything besides beg. "I just...need you to touch me – _anywhere_..." He swore none to gently while rationality finally gave way to lust and his hands moved underneath the cotton hem of his pants.

_'You need me don't you? You need my hands to run across your skin...trace every part of you and commit it all to memory, make you moan things aloud that you'd be ashamed about later...' _Jack would've been upset any other time but he was already too far gone to make himself stop and too deeply drowned in pleasure to want to. He wrapped his fingers around himself none to gently and began palming himself, giving himself full lengthy strokes that had him lightly panting – embarrassment from Pitch probably hearing and reasoning what was going on from the obscene noises alone being only barely prevalent in the back of his mind.

All that mattered now was the _feeling_. The long, near painfully drawn out and sinfully pleasurable feeling of his erection working into and out of his hand as he everything just melted around him was simply too much...

_'My my...rather eager...'_ And Pitch's elegant and undeniably hot voice did not aid his subconsciously enforced attempt to stay sane through the hazy, mind-blowing feeling of melting in his own skin. He weakly writhed against the bed sheets and sped up his strokes, the few threads of his sanity he had left slipping out of his grasp as he let himself relent to the pleasure. Short gasps left him in bursts and his eyes clenched shut – wanting this to never ever end.

The mental image of Pitch's enticing smirk and the piercing gaze of his golden glowing eyes, carefully taking in each and every last detail of his body, every reaction and noise he made. He swore he could feel those dexterous hands now, making their way down laggardly...taking their time to touch him perfectly and drive him mad and force him to beg for more and more while they drove him over the edge at such a slow pace that he thought he might melt into nothing before he finally got his incredible, body shaking release. _'Come for me Jack...' _It was merely a hushed whisper but it was all the additional stimulation he needed – he came hard into his palm with a muffled yell, biting into his pillow as he rocked into his hand with explosions like fireworks appearing behind his tightly closed eyes. Then at last, after what Jack felt like what couldn't be more then a moment, he collapsed back down to Earth and some semblance of actual thought returned to his head...and he groaned.

Mild post-sexual climax exhaustion was catching up quick – more then likely it wasn't that late in the day, certainly not a full twelve hours. He managed to stay awake after though, if by mere adrenaline alone from letting Pitch listen. For a good five minutes post-orgasm trying his best to breathe deeply and relax himself...and heard a faint panting coming through the phone.

_'...Oh...oh god that's...wow...' _Jack thought and swore after realizing what exactly just happened. He and Pitch both masturbated. Technically together.

Can that be considered a first time? Jack wasn't even sure...

_'Whew...that was rather nice.' _Pitch's voice was slightly higher then what it was pre-orgasm (Jack just assumed he was finished) and sounded rather relaxed and pleased.

_'I suppose I did good..' _Jack squirmed a bit – taking the phone up in his hand that wasn't covered in his own essence and unable to stop the satisfied smile that painted his lips. "Oh _Pitch..._you certainly seem to enjoy misbehaving along with me..."

_'Calm yourself and reign it back in, Frost. If you actually think that you lead me around-'_

"Oh please _big boy._" He spoke so it was obviously less of a flirt and more of a tease, not realizing that it was all the same to the more then enthralled lover through the phone._ "_You love it when I lead." Jack added a sexy purr to his words and the long silence that came after had him wondering what he did wrong, what he said to have turned Pitch off...until Pitch's voice, heavy and husky with want responded back.

_'Jack Frost...I will ride you until your sore, begging and pleading on your hands and knees in front of me for more of my cock, slamming into you so hard that your fucking seeing **stars**. Do **not** toy with me.' _

He took an inhale of much needed oxygen – he wanted Pitch to fulfill that promise and do just that – ride him til he's sore and imploring that he can take even more dick into himself, try and make his lover ride him until he broke... It wasn't unpleasant at all to feel like this – in fact he liked it. He surmised that he relished being flirty and misbehaved over the phone with his boyfriend, either that or the after glow was just dulling everything down until it didn't matter anymore.

But then the thought of it actually happening – him being touched and teased...that pushed the after glow away and gave into a powerful want for it to occur. He didn't want just his imagination...he wanted something tangible...he wanted Pitch. "Pitch...I want you to do that. C-...can you do that?" He didn't know why he was suddenly so nervous, all he knew was that he felt like he really did honestly _need_ Pitch inside of him...as soon as possible.

_'Jack...I can do things to you that you'll be both mortified and delighted to think and speak of.' _

"I hope you realize that I'm going to hold you to that..._big boy..." _

_'If you call me that agai-'_

"_In anycase_-" Jack intentionally cut Pitch off – part of him knowing that he wouldn't try to cut him back off in an attempt to make his threat. "I suppose I already told you that my parents don't know I'm gay."

_'Actually no, that's a surprise...' _The flirty teen grew a bit worried, he sounded rather concerned again. _'That's not what...made your father...?'_

_'Ohhh.'_ He realized, Pitch thought that his father was upset because he was gay. _'Pitch...if my dad knew I was gay I don't think I could face him without being beaten bloody.' _In reality he wasn't sure how his father would react if he actually publicly came out out the closet about not being all that interested in girls so much as other men. But he didn't need to know how he would react to know that he wouldn't be leaving the same room within subsequent minutes without either the jaws of life or two big matching purple bruises on either side of his face.

Or being carried out on a stretcher with multiple medics around him.

_'Not risking it.'_ When Jack got right down to things, William just didn't need to know. It wasn't his business and even more-so it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, particularly with how their family currently was rifted apart. The last thing he needed to do was tear it apart further by telling his dad _'Oh hey yeah Dad, did I mention I prefer other guys? I even publicly made out with another guy and loved it. He's also older then me and God do I want his dick!' _

Yeah, again something that he wouldn't even be able to get the entire way through before his left eye received a free enlargement treatment curiosity of his father's fist.

But it did make him wonder...

"Pitch did you catch the morning news?"

_'Yes, why?'_

"Anything about a guy named William Frost?"

_'Who?'_

"That's my father's name..."

_'Ah...no not that I remember. I could have missed it though...'_

"Alright...thanks anyway." So it wasn't on the news and he couldn't hear his father's voice. Nothing new. _'Whoever thought up the saying 'no news is good news' is a moron.' _Jack let out a small sigh. "Pitch I want to see you..."

_'The feeling is mutual. I can assure you...'_

"I miss you."

_'I miss you too...'_

"I don't wanna hang up..." He half whimpered, half pleaded with himself – he needed to go check and see if his father had returned or at least talk to his mother and try to smooth things over. She seemed twice as angry as usual – probably due to his sudden leaving..._'Maybe I really am becoming like my father...'_

_'Me either...but I actually have to now.' _His voice was unpleasant and unsettling – as if someone he despised was approaching him right at that moment.

"O-oh..." That was upsetting...Jack pouted but tried to sound as optimistic and happy as possible. "I'll talk to you later then?"

The only answer he got in response was a long gap of silence – dead air.

–

"Mansnoozie, get out of my office." Pitch squeezed the bridge in-between his eyes and let out a groan of aggravation and exhaustion – just mere moments ago he had been filled with energy but that could have been the post-orgasm bliss just canceling his tiredness out...he assumed it was just the tiny, fat man's presence.

The tiny, widely shaped blonde shook his head rapidly and pointed at him violently, threateningly with far too much shaking in his index finger to mean something polite.

"Whatever it is I can assure you I don't give a fuck." He shrugged and turned away, whirling around in his spinning office chair without a care in the world and a dismissive hand raised while the other fiddled with a blue fountain ink pen.

He nearly forgot how much Mansnoozie didn't like being told no. He came to the front of Pitch's desk and grabbed the back of the chair before yanking it down with a wide and poisonously mischievous grin on his face. The tall, darker skinned man fell entirely over himself and went down with the chair, collapsing on the floor in what the shorter of the two men would consider a melodramatic flailing of his long limbs with his right foot nearly missing the golden dressed man's head.

Pitch allowed himself to lay on the floor for a few moments, his mind delighting in wondering how people got through life without viciously stabbing others to death on a daily basis and then mentally asked himself._ 'You do realize you work with people who do that?' _With no little emotional effort he looked up to see Mansnoozie's golden suit donned body and immediately looked away – how he actually got his work done with something as distracting and annoying like that on was something Pitch would never understand.

"Alright I'll humor you. To what do I owe the light-bulb cosplayer on this _fine_ afternoon?" He said through gritted teeth as he attempted to untangle himself from the chair – unhooking his left leg from it and thanking the heavens it wasn't broken.

Before attempting to say anything Mansnoozie gave him the bird – Pitch responded in kind with a smirk and finally got himself up into a position to get up. Despite their bickering, they were on the same wavelength – complete opposites in every physically imaginable way but mentally always equal and personality wise, even if Mansnoozie hid it for business' sake, he was just as anti-human, rude and snark-filled as Pitch was and stayed like that since they met in high school.

The golden haired man handed him a black and white form with a knowing smile before closing his eyes peacefully, knowing already what Pitch was going to say.

"You're _kidding_ me Sanderson..." He read out the list of numerous books aloud before angrily and unceremoniously balling up the paper, throwing it in the waste bin and looking to his high-school friend for some kind of relief from the upcoming burden.

He received a look of _'Yeah, I know. But you've gotta do it anyway.'_

Pitch pouted in his general direction, trying to pull at Mansnoozie's heartstrings.

No avail.

"Honestly.." Pitch put his chair back upright and sat in it, continuing to spin around in it mindlessly. "...I have no idea why you make me hold your stuff for you."

Sanderson shrugged before moving next to him – almost pushing the revolving chair away as he walked towards the calendar. The taller of the two already knew what he was trying to say, even fore Sanderson's finger touched the date of September, 27.

"I'll be fine, I've been this entire time haven't I?" He leaned back in his chair and spun his pen around in his finger tips, trying not to reminisce or think of that day anymore.

The shorter man looked towards him with a face of_ 'Really?' _before he pulled out his phone and began typing a message that he none-to-gently shoved into Pitch's face.

_'That's a lie. You and I both know that.' _Pitch read before smiling and nodding ever so lightly – acknowledging it but not wanting to believe it, despite already knowing better. Mansnoozie was one of the few that actually knew what was going on – and what happened on that particular day. He was the only one left around him when he crashed like that...and the only one who really knew what was going on in his head, so of course he would know that he was lying about his emotional state...it was his job...

Mansnoozie was his psychologist after all.

The smaller man tapped out some more sentences on his phone before showing Pitch again. _'Just remember, I'm here if you need me.' _

The gray skinned man smiled and nodded. "I know Sanderson.."

_'I know it's not currently my business to pry, but...new partner?' _He was obviously referring to the phone call.

"Did you hear all of that?"

_'Yes and the masturbation.' _

"You really have no idea how to beat around the bush."

_'No, but you seem to be beating your bush rather pleasantly from what I heard.' _ Pitch's happy grin nearly split in entire face in two upon reading that line._ 'Male or female?'_

"Male."

_'Oh god he's not legal is he?' _

"What makes you say that?" The tone of voice, one of joking and mirth, already answered the question for him.

_'I know you'd be in his bed right now if he was.' _

"There's not a lot keeping me from running to his bed right now as a matter of fact." Pitch said, leaning back in his chair and smiling, head now elsewhere as he thought over all the pleasingly unrighteous promises he made to the young man – he refused to think of Jack as a young 'teen' after the things he'd seen from him anyway.

_'And what IS stopping you? Besides you know, breaking the law?' _Sanderson looked at him with a look of pure disbelief.

"I have actual self control, I know you don't know that and I really don't have much of it but it exists, much to my own chagrin." He frowned without realizing it, turning around the pen in his hand before sighing.

_'That's not answering my question.' _

"Maybe I don't want to answer your question." Pitch poked his tongue out at the shorter man, inwardly remembering his promise not to tell anyone about Jack's less then normal at home life. "Maybe I can't hmm?"

_'So wait...you're not screwing him and you're not bragging about it.' _Pitch nodded. _'So...he's different from the past four? Myself included?' _He pouted and nodded sadly, teasing again. _'So wait you're actually seriously with him?' _Another nod, this time accompanied by an ear to ear grin. _'Holy...wow I didn't think you could. Congrats. You have an actual relationship with someone.' _Sanderson beamed greatly and shook his phone almost too excitedly for Pitch to read it.

"If I was anyone else then I would seriously be offended right now, but I'm me so...I guess its a good thing." The mood soured for him and he tapped his lips lightly with his pen before pulling it away from his mouth and turning to read over some documents and papers without needing too. It was an estimated five years before he would be able to build any real personal relationships but it had only been three...He didn't want to think about what happened and the aftermath of it all._ 'Focus on Jack for right now...' _

_'Can I get a name for our little miracle of God or is that a secret too?' _

"I suppose I can tell you...but I'd appreciate it if you didn't go prying any further then this. Promise you won't – with the exception of what I tell you and I'll tell you about him." Pitch bargained, knowing that Sanderson wouldn't betray his trust in such a way by telling if he would actually tell him something.

The blonde nodded almost too fast for the older to see.

"His name's Jackson Overland Frost – He's 17. Tall, thin, bright-skinned, white haired...peppy little high-school pretty boy – beautiful, shiny pearly whites included."

_'Everything you've just told me explains the previous four excluding myself and the white-hair. What makes this one different?'_

"Well he's got a brain in his skull for one thing. I looked him up in his high-school's directory, incredibly talented with an immense amount of mental potential, and again bright teeth. This is _Pennsylvania. _That's rare."

_'It's Pennsylvania, not Britain. That's not the miracle you think it is.' _Sanderson held his phone aloft with a wide, knowing grin.

"Raaaaaacist." Pitch sang before continuing, the comedy of it not lost on him though. "As the teachers have told me tons of girls just _fawn_ over him, but he doesn't have a girlfriend – when he's asked about it he'll change the subject or just say he's focusing on his studies or can't find the right girl-" He paused for a moment to chuckle. "_Obviously bullshit."_ He and Sanderson both mouthed in unison before he continued. "His white hair is actually natural...and he is a walking conglomerate of ice based puns."

_'Got a written list?'_

"I'm working on it honestly. White hair shaped like icicles, born on the Winter Solstice, incredible in snow-fights so I've been told, loves ice cream and the winter. The whole nine yards." Pitch listed them all off from memory alone.

_'Jack Frost.'_

"That's what everyone calls him."

_'Just like everyone calls me the Sandman and you Pitch Black?'_

"Yes, with the exception that he actually _enjoys _his nickname. Really who even calls me that anymore? I mean seriously..."

_'Pitch. I need you to listen to me here man.'_

"Listen to what? The tapping of those little keys of yours?" Pitch dismissed him with a wave of his hand, both of them registering that the aggressiveness behind the insulting statement was self-defensive as Sanderson was approaching the original topic of conversation. "Piss _off._"

The golden haired man stared at him for a long while and Pitch stared back before flashing an apologetic smile, catching himself. Sanderson nodded as an _'it's fine, I know you didn't mean it.' _response before getting to work typing something else down on his phone – whatever it was it took a good portion of time. Pitch had a good idea of what it was as well...

He was a psychologist as well.

_'Go outside that day. Spoil yourself. Laugh a lot. Buy yourself something nice and for the love of God please just buy some wine for you and Jack and so have a good time. I know what happened, I saw the video, I heard the reports, I know all of it. **All of it** and trust me when I say that you deserve it man, regardless of what you think you could have possibly done. None of us would've seen that coming and at most, only one half drunk dumb-ass can take the blame for what happened. You know that.'_

Pitch rolled his eyes and turned his chair away from reading that, trying to use the tip of his pen to dig the dirt out of underneath his fingernails instead while frowning. _'I swear they were clean before he left the house...'_

Sanderson left him alone after that, instead choosing to turn and walk out of Pitch's office with an angered frown aimed at both himself and Pitch's less then peaceful past. He didn't like it when he couldn't make _progress_ while someone else did without realizing it, although he appreciated the way this Jack boy was making Pitch smile and be more patient overall as of late.

_'Just don't break his heart.' _Sanderson thought as he closed the door behind him, waiting patiently for that single moment he knew would happen_._ It took five, exhaustively quiet minutes before he could hear Pitch's sniffles and the sound of whimpers coming through the door and only then allowed himself to cry along with him – the only time he knew Pitch would never feel pitied and pathetic. _'I'm sorry Pitch..._

_I really am.'_

___**Title is : Soon it Will be Cold Enough to Build Fires**_** by Emancipator.**  


_**Today is the last day of my four day vacation, then its the end of the year rush with tons of tests and crap. **_

_**Good news though, at time of uploading I'm 80 percent finished with chapter 17 and 60 percent finished with the outline for chapter 28. **_

_**Keep reading, laughing, playing and reviewing! **_

_**Love,**_

_**Angelblaze**_


	11. Kiss me Through the Phone

_Sanderson left him alone after that, instead choosing to turn and walk out of Pitch's office with an angered frown aimed at both himself and Pitch's less then peaceful past. He didn't like it when he couldn't make progress while someone else did without realizing it, although he appreciated the way this Jack boy was making Pitch smile and be more patient overall as of late._

_'Just don't break his heart.' Sanderson thought as he closed the door behind him, waiting patiently for that single moment he knew would happen. It took five, exhaustively quiet minutes before he could hear Pitch's sniffles and the sound of whimpers coming through the door and only then allowed himself to cry along with him – the only time he knew Pitch would never feel pitied and pathetic. 'I'm sorry Pitch..._

_I really am.'_

–

For the next few days and stretching until Wednesday Jack came to the amazing and sudden discovery after publicly making out with a man he just knew and barely knew and practically teasing him with the promise of cheap, good and rough sex despite the fact that he was an under aged gay virgin, that he was an unquestioning and unbelievably willing slut for Pitch. He was certain that should anyone ever discover what was exchanged through the phone during those days, they would instantly have him placed into Sex Addicts Anonymous for some intense and much needed therapy.

On a funnier note, he found himself not giving a shit even quicker, particularly when Pitch's voice purred to him seductively through the phone and made him thrust into his hands, touch his needy, innocent body in places that he would've dared never do a mere two weeks ago and scream into his pillow to be fucked as hard and as rough of anyone could ever possibly give to him. '_Imagine that.__'_

The strangest thing occurred on Wednesday though, as he lay in bed with the phone pressed into his hands – with no real want to masturbate. He wanted Pitch inside of him, that much was certain, but the want to have an orgasm and beg was quelled by a feeling he couldn't quite recognize. He dismissed it as being tender or perhaps he just wanted Pitch so much that his body knew that masturbation wouldn't satisfy anything until it finally got him...

The former made it sound queerly romantic, as if he actually _needed _Pitch...so he decided he'd go with that one.

Needless to say that the conversation began to get astonishingly casual in comparison – despite that fact that nearly all conversation that occurred before hand on the phone was obviously on the opposite end of friendly, polite and casual to begin with – and Jack found himself chuckling and laughing with his older boyfriend rather then flirting as if he was actually legal and able to give legal consent and letting out sounds that would make prostitutes' faces flush from the sheer indecency of it all.

_'I hope I never. Ever. See that girl again...' _Pitch groaned through the phone and Jack grinned, knowing he was talking about their 'self-righteous' girl again.

"Surprisingly enough I can't find the heart to give a shit." He grinned and lightly ran his fingers against his laptop, considering using it but then deciding against it – he had been having software problems with it anyway.

_'Me either personally...but I wanted to ask you something.' _He sounded almost distressingly tense.

Jack admitted to himself that he didn't know Pitch inside and out and he wasn't sure he ever would, but he did at least come to know a lot of what his tastes and tendencies were and how he talked...and he knew that he only asked for something from Jack when it would require him to do emotional work on his part.

Whatever this was, it was important...and that peeked Jack's interest enough to have him shift his weight on the bed and smile. "Yeah, sure what is it?"

_'I know its abrupt and I know-'_ There was a dense breath and fragile pause in between words that worried the younger caller but he made no words to question it. _'I know you don't know me very well but you know I just kind of I-I want you to spend some more time with me...over at my house. I mean...' _Another silence and Jack decided to welcome himself back into the conversation.

"Someone's a little nervous...what's the matter Pitch? Cat got your tongue?" An obvious swell of bravado.

_'Ugh...no.' _He could sense the uneasiness in the older man's voice but silenced himself still, wanting to hear of whatever Pitch had in mind. _'...I hate that saying...it's just like I...supposedly your high-school isn't open this Friday because of Act 80 I believe and I just figured that maybe we could get together for the weekend is all...'_

"I love how when your nervous you lapse into sounding like a sixteen year old."

_'Spare me.'_

"Don't intend to."

_'Just...ugh- Can you?' _

"I can but..." Jack let his voice trail off and thought of his recent home troubles – most of which not being recent so much as embers that became troublesome, time consuming and freedom restricting flames. With so much going on and so little information being fed to him by his mother, particularly in the last few days, he felt pressured with the need to be cautious and guard Mary and himself from the home front. He couldn't just run off again. Every time he did he could feel the drawn-out, overstressed buckling emotional structure of the house that was already crumbling apart, generally when his mother was involved. He could feel her just beginning to break down whether it was due to worry, fear or anger he wasn't quite sure but he knew he couldn't just sit by and watch it all happen.

He needed to support her and keep Mary safe.

Why did it feel like someone had doubled the burden on his shoulders with little to no care about how much he could really carry? He ran an empty hand through his icicle hair and let a muteness stretch between them while he considered his answer, already knowing that he had to say no and refuse the more then welcome proposal – even Jack didn't know how long he wanted to run into Pitch's arms and embrace him and have his beau sweep him off his feet and into his house, into his bedroom and then take his agonizingly sweet time to please him in ways he had previous imagined but never fully capture with just his hand and the sound of his lover's voice. All he knew is that he wanted to almost too much for it to be merely a normal relationship...ignoring the fact that he had never been in a real relationship before. "Things...aren't going too well at home right now." he finished with a miffed grimace that he knew Pitch couldn't see but could hear.

_'Worse then normal?' _

"Yeah..."

_'Did your father...has he been imprisoned?'_

"Good question." Jack licked his lips, only now feeling as if they were dry and then swallowing while his throat followed suit. "I don't know anything about the legal system really...it always annoyed me. But he hasn't been back in a couple days so yeah...I think he's gone."

_'It was Sunday right?'_

"Yeah..." Jack was almost too busy thinking to hear him, too busy off in space and considering what to do now that William was now evidently gone and out of his life.

_'Did your mother press charges?' _

"Probably not." He wasn't aware that that mattered much with his facial injury.

_'Then no, he's most likely not in prison.'_

"I haven't seen him in a couple days is all. It's not so much I want him in prison, I just don't want him hitting me or mom again in front of Mary." Jack answered absent-mindedly but was shocked out of his mental adventuring from the uncomfortable silence that stretched between them, unsure of what he said wrong this time to have Pitch shut up so abruptly.

_'Honestly...' _His voice came out in a heavy huff of breath that almost made the younger male jump from the bed in surprise. _'Do you really listen to yourself sometimes I mean really **listen** Frost?' _Pitch sounded oddly agitated with what he just said and the young teen had no idea as to why. All he did was say what was really true.

"What'd I say?"

_'Wha- Oh...just...' _Another exhale before he took a breath inward to calm himself, Jack was shocked. He never heard Pitch so distressed over something. _'Jack that...what you just said implies that you don't care that he's beating you as long as he isn't doing it in front of your little sister.' _

The white-haired youth thought about that for a moment and came to a simple and confident conclusion. "Yes Pitch, that's what I meant. I don't care if he hits me, as long as Mary isn't watching."

_'Jack that's...disgustingly unhealthy. Don't you realize what that means at all if you really and honestly think that that's a perfectly **normal** thing to say?' _

The frost teen bit his lip and sat up in bed at last, crossing his legs Indian style and thinking hard about it. What exactly did he say that was so wrong and so unbelievably shocking that even Pitch – who had previously been right along with him while calling the people that lived around the entire area a bunch of idiots and even had the crassness and uncaring needed to make out with a popular and well known seventeen year old in public without a care in the world for who saw – be shocked and disgusted?

"I don't...see why you're so upset." Jack concluded before frowning to himself. He really didn't know what was so wrong with that...

_'Jack you've lost all sense of self safety or self preservation haven't you?' _Pitch's voice sounded increasingly concerned and irritated – he couldn't help it though, hearing Jack say such a thing just shook him to his core when he listened. _'It's fine to want to keep your mother and sister safe but there's no reason to become a martyr...Jack really I mean you...'_

"Look I know but...I-I just...I need-"

_'You need to spend a day with me.' _

"What?" Now that was something that he wasn't expecting at all, Pitch's voice wasn't even insistent on him coming to his house. It was demanding and not the 'take no for an answer' type voice, similar to the one he used in the cafe to get Jack to buy himself some ice cream.

_'Tomorrow morning, at ten AM your to meet me in front of Cafe Claussen and come to my house.' _He explained attentively and carefully as if he was explaining it to a child, Jack would've felt offended if he was asking anything else at any different place or time. _'You aren't spoiled enough, its not healthy.'_

"Ummm...first off I can't. I-"

_'I **SAID **meet me in front of Claussen and we're driving to my place. That's final Frost, end of discussion.' _

"E-excuse me?! I could swear that I have something called _free will._" Jack almost yelled through the phone, remembering how back at the cafe he practically forced him to eat the ice cream – he didn't really _want_ to eat from fear of his stomach just like he didn't really _want_ to stay here and see if his father was going to come back without a court date or come back at all but he wasn't about to let Pitch just force him around...outside of bed. He was his own man when it came to decisions like this, he at least liked to think. "Further more isn't not being a spoiled brat a good thing?"

_'Jack, first off free will is a theory – NOT _confirmed fact – _and yes, being a spoiled brat is NOT a good thing. But not knowing how to treat yourself is far worse. I thought that maybe back at the cafe...that just clears up everything...it all fits now. Jack...you need to come over to my house.' _

"Pitch I...you just." Jack sighed and grabbed his forehead, for once not feeling a headache in his head, but the voice on the phone was beginning to get to him. "...I _can _treat myself but I need to help my little sister-"

_'Jack, your mother is there for that. You need to relax, you need someone to help **you** for a change, feed you, worry about you-'_

"Pitch that's not your job?" He wasn't sure why he sounded like he was questioning Pitch's logic but he knew his stance on going was quickly wavering away.

_'Then whose is it Frost?' _Pitch's voice rumbled with a hot anger that almost frightened Jack. _'It's bad enough that your asking me to leave you alone in a home with an abusive man that has already put his hands on you and not **tell the police** but now your not even letting me try to take care of you?! Some of us have a very strong sense of justice Jack!' _Jack bit his lip and ran his hand over his mouth before licking his lips, they felt so dry again. He wasn't considering that Pitch wanted to tell anyone about what was going on, all the while gritting his teeth about it and probably coming close to calling the police and explaining it all anyway.

He let out an exhale through his teeth and ran his fingers up his face until he reach his hair line, pulling his hand before further to sweep over his hair while he mentally chastised himself. It was stupid not to consider that maybe Pitch really gave a fuck about him – even dumber to ignore the fact that he even said such. "I'm sorry." He found himself only able to mumble that before taking a deep breath to prevent tears from coming out of his eyes. "I...I shouldv-"

_'It's fine...but I mean...I know you think that you're doing something good, denying yourself simple pleasures in favor of helping your sister and yes – that is good on a base level. But not in such excess Jack. I felt you, you realize that right?' _Pitch's voice had calmed down to an apologetic and grief-stricken tone.

"I don't understand what you mean by that..."

_'Jack...I could feel how thin you were. That's why you wear sweat shirts and baggy clothing right? You want to hide how thin you are – from other people and yourself. When's the last time you made yourself a decent meal? I don't mean take out or something you made for Mary and you but an actual dinner or breakfast plate you made for youself.' _Pitch asked, his voice showing that he already knew the answer: Jack didn't know.

And he really didn't. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he made himself something substantial. "When my father is sober I splurge a little..." He tried to make a defense and he could almost feel Pitch's refusal of such an answer through the phone. "And eat a little more..."

_'And how often is he sober? Honestly Jack- You're coming over to my house tomorrow and that's final...I-...you need to be spoiled at least once. I won't ask you to stay the whole weekend, but at least a single day. For your own sake, please.'_

"...Okay." Jack resigned and fell back onto the bed, sprawling out to cover the entire area and relax himself. He was going to ask what the inside of Pitch's house looked like and what exactly it was like but he decided against it, no longer wanting to start anymore arguments...he was too emotionally tired for it. _'He's right...I need at least one day to fully relax and get out of the house without having to worry about Mary, especially after what happened with William.'. _

_'__So Jack around...__10__?' _

"Give me until 11 and I promise you I'll be there."

_'Got an excuse ready for your parents? I don't think they'd be particularly happy to hear your visiting your boyfriend's house in the woods with no one else around.'_

"I'll just tell my mom I'm with my study partners or something...she won't question it too much." Jack rolled over onto his side and held the phone a little closer to his ear, queasiness bubbling up in the pit of his stomach as he contemplated what he wanted to say. He wasn't sure when he could say this in a relationship – he never had any experience before but..._'here goes nothing...' _"Pitch..."

_'Hm?'_

"I...I just want to say that the past couple of days that I've known you has been...absolutely incredible." He didn't intend for that to leave his mouth but it felt _right _to say so he didn't try to rectify it. "I don't...I don't want it to stop. You make me really happy for some reason and I just, I feel like I have to tell you that." He felt tears begin to brim and overflow in his eyes and he blinked them away with his voice wavering and cracking near the end of his words.

_'Jack, what is it? Is something the matter?' _Pitch sounded worried again and Jack slowly curled up into a ball, biting his lip like mad trying to stop himself from crying.

"I just wanted to say that I really appreciate everything you've done for me..." Jack sniffled noisily and wiped his nose with his sleeve, partially not understanding why he was crying to begin with but too far gone to care. "And that I love you." He felt terrified, too bared and too open – but it was something that he felt _needed _to be said.

_'…'_

A long silence stretched between them and Jack felt himself almost break – these periods of nothing being said were too common and scary for him to feel safe and comfortable right after just bearing himself. It _hurt_.

"P-Pitch?"

_'...I...' _His voice sounded uncertain and uneven, despite his previous confidence and insistence for Jack to come over to his house. '_I can't accept that.' _

"What do you mean you can't accept that?" Jack asked, appalled and astonished by Pitch's sudden silence only to realize that the other man had completely hung up the phone.

–

Pitch ran his fingers through his hair and let out a heavy huff of air as he hung up the phone, sweat pooling at his temple and his whole body near-shaking from just hearing those words come from the phone, from Jack's mouth. Did he know what those words even met? Did he know what _'love' _implied and what it really meant? Did they even put the same amount of weight into that simple four letter word?

After Jack's indirect admittance of having a lack of self-preservation, he didn't think so but at the same time – he was smart, young and honest and even then the boy had never been in a _real_ relationship before, as far as what he was told. Did he even know what love was at its core or what he was implying?

He took a drawn-out look at the phone in hesitation, wondering if he should call him back. It was obvious that hanging up was the worst possible decision he could make at that moment, with Jack's parental issues and possible lack of self concern...but he didn't feel comfortable trying to call back – too many memories stemmed from that single phrase too much...sadness and too many emotional let downs. He placed the phone back on its charger and took a few moments to recompose himself, trying to either forget or deal with what just happened while he thought of what Jack might say when and if they met in front of Claussen tomorrow. He wasn't even sure Jack would still come with his sudden refusal of the other man's feelings – Pitch refused to acknowledge Jack as a mere teenager – and sincerely hoped this wouldn't mean that Jack would assume he didn't.

He knew that merely assuming that Jack would merely glance over it was a foolish excuse to not call him but he felt too off center, too emotionally disturbed by the phrase and its usage to actually pick up the phone and make an attempt to make amends.

He knew he fucked up. _Big time _in fact. And he hated it.

Who was he to put his comfort before Jack's – the child just admitted his emotions and he just spurned them. The first thing Jack would probably think was that Pitch was just like his father or something of the sort... _'Fuck. __**Fuck.' **_That last thought was almost too hard to take, he swore he might break down - memories of September not leaving him. So much so fast...

He swore he might drown or break under all the pressure that squeezed a decision out of him.

_'Implode, explode or calm down – one of the three.' _He remembered reading that on Mansnoozie's phone so long ago – such a vivid memory and so calming, but at the same time it was frightening...

It happened in September as well. _Goddamnit _he hated this month.

He ran his hands through his hair again and took even, steady, slow breaths just like Sanderson taught him to whenever he felt like this – the last thing he needed was to hyperventilate or have a panic attack right now.

He needed to _think_.

Butwhen Jack said it he could hear that very same voice telling him that just mere moments before – he grabbed the sides of his head and bit his lips so hard he could feel blood slowly dripping from them. _'I love you' _was echoing in his ears, playing over and over right alongside his pounding pulse and he felt something akin to physical pain in his chest and throat. He found himself unable to breathe and incapable of moving – his mind screamed to him: _it was his fault. He should have seen it all coming, all of it! It was his job to take care of - _

He tumbled forward, just barely catching the rim of the small waste bin he kept by his desk before he violently began emptying the breakfast he had earlier, the apple from mere moments before Jack called and any and all of the remaining significant contents of his stomach. Hot tears he had no control over spilling were making their way down his face from both the emotional breakdown and the painfully long period of being incapable of breathing. His hands balled, one gripping the edge of the wastebasket with white knuckles and the other clenching the fabric of the light beige carpet.

He was only just able to catch his breath in between waves of dry heaving, vomit, and gut wrenching sickness that continued on for at least fifteen minutes before he at last could fully breathe and wipe his face and hands clean with nearby paper towels that he kept there just for the occasion should something like this happen.

_'Calling Mansnoozie after this would probably be the best plan of action, however with what I just did to Jack I don't think what I consider to be the best plan of action is actually a wise decision...' _Pitch thought before biting his lip, he didn't actually believe what he just told himself. He _knew_ that he was supposed to call Sanderson whenever..._this particular month _began having such an effect on him. The last time he didn't it didn't end will for any of the involved. Including the two doctors he bit and the security guard he punched in the face.

He ignored Sanderson's number which lie safely and easily reachable within the first left hand drawer of his desk and instead threw away the puke-stained paper towels in his hand and slowly relaxed himself, running his hand down his face and wiping off the few appearing and cooling beads of sweat from his forehead and doing his best to separate himself from his taste-buds for now with the acidic tang of vomit still lingering in his mouth. He allowed himself to sit down and get back to work, looking at papers of patients and examining their possible conditions – then chuckled from the irony of it. He was capable of helping others with their mental problems despite not knowing the cure for his own...

_'Maybe that's it.' _Pitch concluded and swung his legs upward and rested them on the desk, using the power from his lower legs and the pressure on the desk to spin his chair back and forth in a slow, rhythmic moment while he let his thoughts take over. _'Maybe that's my punishment, my purgatory. I'm stuck like this without knowing a cure.' _He let out a sigh and thought of Jack – whose emotional and mental problems he was able to read to him like a letter not ten minutes before he broke down and laughed, out loud this time, before thinking more about him. _'He doesn't deserve someone like me...all I've got is a well paying job and a degree that says I showed up to class. He deserves someone who can actually tell him...those words.' _He shook his head despairingly and pressed the blunt half of his pen to the center of his temple with a small groan of dissatisfaction. _'And he thinks he's in love. He's never been in a relationship before, how could he know? How could a child so young know what **love** means?' _

He thought and considered before biting his lips painfully hard once more, the coppery tang of his own blood mixing with the acrid taste of his regurgitated vomit and making him wretch and wipe his mouth off again. _'I have to...' _He didn't want to, but he felt it was _right_. At least for Jack. He didn't want to hurt him. He didn't want to end up crashing again and having to make someone so young, someone like Jack who already had enough trouble keeping the three people in his own personal family from falling apart, pick up the pieces and put him back together again.

_'I have to dump Jack after he leaves my house tomorrow. It's the only way.' _He sure as hell didn't want to, as a matter of fact he didn't think it was even right.

But he didn't want Jack to have to solve him like a complicated thousand-piece puzzle like Mansnoozie did – he wasn't sure he was even put back together right the _first_ time. He felt more like a few pieces that made up his heart, whatever he could consider a soul and a few pieces of his brain – the parts that allowed him to reason correctly so he could feel secure about anything in his life – were forever lost.

_'Maybe...'_ He thought of what happened a year ago. Maybe he could get it _right _this time with the knife. Or the sleeping pills. Right some near-forgotten wrongs for the sake of September and the one he should have protected. Spill a few worthless liters of blood to help sanctify the rest and bring a little bit of rest to the dearly beloved and departed...he just had to make sure Mansnoozie didn't stop him this time. Or the cops...

_'But what if Jack finds out?' _He was leaving Jack so he _wouldn't _get emotionally hurt by Pitch's breakdown. The last thing he wanted was for the young icicle-haired teen to find out his boyfriend had actually committed a s-

A sharp, silence shattering ringing followed by a familiar little tune that signaled someone had sent him a text pierced the eerie stillness and peaceful but dark calmness of the room.

_'Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream...Make him the cutest that I've ever seen'_

He stared down at his Blackberry like it was an entirely different creature, considering whether or not he should be answering Sanderson's text or not, considering where his mind was.

If he didn't answer, he'd arouse the older man's suspicion and he was sure that Sanderson was already watching him like a hawk. If he did, he might say something that got Sandy's attention.

He decided to go with the last mentioned choice and play it cool.

Kozmotis: _'Hey.'_

Sanderson: _'Just checking up on you. Everything alright?' _

Kozmotis: _'Of course Sandy. Everything alright with you?'_

Sanderson: _'Considering my line of work? It's all...moderately okay.'_

Kozmotis: _'Oh "moderately okay". Sanderson, I've known you long enough to know that's never a good thing...let me guess, the "reformed" criminal you were working on went berserk.' _Pitch smiled and made sure that Sanderson understood what he was saying, putting emphasis on where it was needed and acting as normal as possible.

Sanderson: _'Nope. He did one better. He full blown escaped, ran out of the office, ran into the street screaming something about facades and chocolate bars before falling to the ground and smashing his skull apart on the pavement.'_

Kozmotis: _'What'd he do?'_

Sanderson:_ 'Ex-serial pedophile with guilt issues from – as I've been told – **not** touching children.'_

Pitch grimaced, frowned and shook his head slowly. How Sandy kept it all together and sane as a criminal psychologist he would never know. He envied his ability to keep himself completely together under just about any circumstances.  
Kozmotis: _'He deserved it then...'_

Sanderson: _'Gets better – __I need you here.'_

Pitch read that sentence and formulated a reply before reading it again and absorbing it.

Kozmotis: _'Sanderson, seriously I deal with people's dreams, nightmares __and subconscious__ – not criminals. Why would you need me?__'_

Sanderson: _'I need someone who is more attractive and charismatic then me and more generalized when it comes to the behavior of 'normal' human beings. You're my best shot.'_

Kozmotis: _'That doesn't quite answer my question.' _Pitch knew that the whole 'more attractive and charismatic' thing was just to butter him up and he grinned as he sent off the message. _'Not gonna work this time friend.'_

Sanderson: _'His daughter saw him run out screaming and is currently on the verge of having a panic attack or snapping. __Obviously one of his victims and a really heavy case of what could possibly be Stockholm syndrome__ I need you here __**now**__.'_

Kozmotis: _'Sanderson I can't do that right now -' _He promptly brainstormed up a simple lie to get him out of it. He loved working with children but it was September and _nononono Don't go there! 'I'm busy with a patient right now.'_

At that moment the door burst wide open, revealing a thoroughly pissed off looking Sanderson and Pitch put all the pieces together. He must have either heard the retching, been told about his outburst of pent up emotion by a nearby passerby or perhaps just a lucky gut feeling and then in a test he put him in a position where he would either have to run out and help Sanderson, proving that he really was okay or at least getting better in some way, or lie and stay here – proving that he needed more help then he realized.

The younger, gray skinned man leaned back into his chair and leisurely applauded Sanderson's masterminded, underhanded plan while the golden man approached the desk with a face that read of nothing but madness and wrath.

"Don't look at me like that, we both know I'm not alright at all."

He typed something out on his phone that Pitch couldn't see and didn't care about, feeling ballsier and less preoccupied with anything the 'Sandman' would do at this point. '_Kosmotis we both know you'd be the FIRST one out there the moment__ a child got involved. What the hell is wrong with you?' _

"You were _THERE_." And then he hit ire, his voice raised to screaming and his body raising from his seat so quickly and with so much force that the lounging chair fell back and slammed against the wall. "You already know what the _hell _is wrong with me!"

Sandy was trying to type something out but Pitch was already in his face.

"I'm a _cold blooded murderer. _I killed a _child_. No amount of therapy and reasoning will fix what happened two years ago. I don't care how you reason it- if it wasn't for me she'd still _be HERE."_

Sandy pushed his phone into Pitch's face, tears twinkling like dispirited stars in his eyes. _'It wasn't your fucking FAULT. __You're having survivor's guilt Pitch!__ If anything you should be given an award for what happened __that day and how far you went just to...I know people who wouldn't have done half of that – I should know, you know what I do!__ Just because you two were there, at that particular place in time-' _

Pitch stopped reading after that instead he stomped away, tearing his coat from the nearby coat rack and left in a huff, shoving his way past Mansnoozie none to lightly and yelling as he walked past. "I'm taking the next _three weeks _off. Don't call me, I might remotely consider calling you." His tone was fresh, snark-filled and sharp like the fangs of a cobra as he past – he briefly wondered whether this was him actually returning normal or if he just was so immensely enraged that he went round full circle back to sane.

Didn't matter because before he knew it he was in his car and gone, not looking back.

_**ALRIGH**__**T**_

_**I NEED YOUR HELP AND ADVISE GUYS.**_

_**I'm considering writing a rather explicit incest/rape scene (It's not involving Jack, don't worry.) but I don't think you guys would like that very much, so I was wondering if I should just upload it as a separate fic, put it in an a bonus chapter or just put it in (no pun intended).**_

_**Pm me with any questions or concerns involving said scene, including your opinion of what I should do - I know multiple things about it already, 1. It will occur. 2. It won't involve Jack and 3. It explains some stuff, which technically makes it plot. **_


	12. The Devil Came Back to Georgia

"_I'm a cold blooded murderer. I killed a child. No amount of therapy and reasoning will fix what happened two years ago. I don't care how you reason it- if it wasn't for me she'd still be HERE."_

_Sandy pushed his phone into Pitch's face, tears twinkling like dispirited stars in his eyes. 'It wasn't your fucking FAULT. You're having survivor's guilt Pitch! If anything you should be given an award for what happened that day and how far you went just to...I know people who wouldn't have done half of that – I should know, you know what I do! Just because you two were there, at that particular place in time-' _

_Pitch stopped reading after that instead he stomped away, tearing his coat from the nearby coat rack and left in a huff, shoving his way past Mansnoozie none to lightly and yelling as he walked past. "I'm taking the next three weeks off. Don't call me, I might remotely consider calling you." His tone was fresh, snark-filled and sharp like the fangs of a cobra as he past – he briefly wondered whether this was him actually returning normal or if he just was so immensely enraged that he went round full circle back to sane. _

_Didn't matter because before he knew it he was in his car and gone, not looking back._

* * *

After Pitch's abrupt cut off with minimal explanation as to why he couldn't accept the other man's feelings about him, Jack decided he needed to think. Before bed he took a warm bath and relaxed the tension in numerous places on his body.

Made him wonder when the last time was that he actually took a little time for himself and breathed easy for a bit. Katherine and William were gone for now. The former being on a rant still about Jack's midnight meeting up with Pitch that she only knew was him running out somewhere and strangely enough didn't seem too concerned as to where exactly he went and left to 'get some air' after returning to his room to _'have a conversation with him that didn't end in him leaving for no reason.' _as she claimed, which Jack thought was a joke. He sat there for a full hour and was told he was the scourge of the Earth essentially – a conversation required two people to be talking.

The latter just didn't come home period.

Mary was lying safe in her bed, sleeping peacefully and harmlessly wrapped in numerous blankets with a smile on her face as she rested. Whether she knew about how long William could be gone and how long he was gone was something he couldn't find the heart to actually wake her up to ask her. He let her sleep before going back upstairs and retreating to the comfort of his own bed to stare at his phone.

_'Why can't he accept that I...I love him?' _The young man stared at the piece of technology with a bewildered face as if it was the one who had rejected him in such a way. _'Does that mean that this really is novelty? Or...he just wants me for my body?'_ Just thinking about it made him head and his heart weep painfully. He didn't think he could go see Pitch after school now – with such a tension between them. He loved Pitch. He really did and he was absolutely sure of that. He loved his company, his smile, his way of laughter, his attitude, his personality, he loved everything he knew about him but...

Pitch must not have loved him.

He flipped the phone over repeatedly in his hands and let out a small sigh before sitting upright and deleting the other man's number from the history of the phone.

_'Besides...the last time I fell in love was-' _He shook his head to cleared his thoughts of Jamie before rolling over to his side and yanking the blankets over himself.

He was done for today and completely spent on all levels. He decided he'd just do the rest of whatever was required of him tomorrow and for now; he returned to the one place he felt wouldn't be awkward, exhausting and confusing.

Underneath his sheets.

–

The next day, Thursday, came much sooner then he would've liked it too. He could even remember when he closed his eyes and relaxed – it felt like only a few brief minutes ago that he had decided to actually rest even though the window across from his bed told of a very different story. He untangled himself from his less then cooperative sheets and rose from the bedding with messy hair and a less then happy look on his face.

He couldn't sleep anymore – his body was too awake. But his mind didn't want to wake up or get shaken out of it's slumber, his skull felt like it was full of cotton. In the distance he swore he could hear a ringing sound and turned to see his phone lighting up like an aspiring Christmas tree. He could faintly make out Pitch's name and number on the screen.

He swore he deleted that.

He grabbed the phone before it dropped the call from lack of answer and debated with himself on whether or not he would actually talk to Pitch. _'Things are too awkward and weird right now...' _He wanted to discard the phone and then he thought of his old friend Jamie, who he could never really figure out his footing with. At that moment something inside of him screamed to him _'You really want that to happen again?' _he pressed the 'talk' button without even fully realizing.

_'Jack, it's Pitch. Are you alright?' _His tone was rushed and hurried with a hint of light fear lined along the edges of his words. Was he actually fearing for Jack's safety?

_'No idea why he would actually bother.' _Jack thought before putting the phone next to his mouth in a relaxed motion. "Yeah I'm fine." His voice was rife with the sound of sleepy rest and post-wake up exhaustion

_'Jack...were you sleeping just now?'_

"Yeah." He resisted the powerful urge to add _'what of it?' _to the end of that reply – it was too fresh and rude sounding even if he did feel the want to be just that.

_'Jack...I'm not rushing you or anything but we agreed to meet in front of Claussen at eleven AM at the latest...' _

"Yeah?"

_'It's veering on eleven-thirty right now.' _

–

Leaned against the driver door of his car and paying no attention to anyone else in humanity besides for the person he was talking to over his cellphone, Pitch really was distressed about Jack right about now. His previous patterns of behavior painted a different story then the one he was being told right now, he would've guessed that he would be here by now if not twenty minutes to a half an hour early. He thought Jack had more of a spring in his step when he was with him, more happiness and strangely seductive level of fun and excitement then what he was demonstrating right now - this pointed to the opposite...had he been angered by his inability to - _no_. Pitch dragged himself away from that and thought of Jack and the time he wished to spend with him...he wanted to make it beautiful for him...

Plus he wouldn't want his last day on Earth to be spent alone in a big house all by himself. He wanted to spend his time spoiling Jack, treating him like much better then anyone else he ever met and would ever meet would. He would message him from head to toe, paying special attention to all those points where he knew Jack was stressed and tensed up at before kissing him there ever so gently. He'd make him dinner, something delicious that he would like and so much of it as he liked. They'd watch some awful, beyond-redeemable movie together so they could laugh at just how _bad _it was, like 'Showgirls' or 'The Room' before he would take him upstairs, laughing and smiling the entire way into his bedroom...

And they'd do nothing besides kiss and touch until they fell asleep.

Pitch wanted Jack to feel loved and cared for beyond anything else in the world – wanted him to feel as if time was slipping away from him and the rest of the world just didn't exist anymore. All it would be was Jack and him, kissing and loving one another passionately. He would whisper little tidbits of affection, sweet nothings into his younger lovers ear...

At the sound of the familiar voice's response he had to reel his imagination back in.

_'Oh I'm sorry I just woke up.' _

"I can tell." He grinned and allowed himself to relax ever so slightly. Jack was fine, just sleepier then normal.

_'Gimmie a half hour and I'll be there...' _Pitch could tell something was on his mind and really wanted to push the subject, see if he could find out what was wrong or what was upsetting him. He didn't want Jack to be sad – especially not today. He wanted him to be the happiest person on Earth. At the same time, the last time he was forceful Jack didn't like it...

"Alright...I'll be waiting." He responded with a smile on his face, hoping Jack could tell he was actually rather delighted. "No rush." He opened the front door of his car and got inside, still holding the cellphone to his ear in case Jack needed to tell him something else...instead he got silence for a short amount of time before he could hear what sounded like the ruffling of sheets, then the opening and slamming of drawers. Part of him couldn't help but wonder what his lover looked like underneath those clothes, aside from 'too thin'.

Cottony, erogenous, luminous skin that practically begged to be touched and caressed by his hands and his hands alone – no one else would ever be allowed to gaze at what lie underneath the blocking clothing. Pink, near-touched nipples that he would squeeze ever so slightly just to watch Jack's beautiful, awe inspiring form arc off the bed from the sensation and pants accompanied by desperate pleas for more and more to leave his lips...

_'Wait...wait...what..was I thinking about before that?' _Pitch frowned, disgruntled and glared down at his now suddenly too-tight trousers...perhaps he could will it away..

_'Pitch I have no idea how to put this decently, so I'm just going to say it alright?' _

"Okay..." Pitch paid half attention to that, still trying to think of the ugliest, saggiest, most disgusting human being he could think of.

_'I want you to fuck me into your mattress okay?' _Jack's voice was in a near whisper and had it not been for the fact that he was the one who caused his problem, Pitch would be angered. Now he just found it incredibly hot. '_Like...make due on all those promises you made me. I want you to nearly tear me half tonight alright?'_

_'Oh Christ Frost...' _Pitch thought and leaned back in his chair, shutting his eyes tight out of light annoyance – his body refused to calm down at all and these godforsakenly tight pants were constricting as fuck.

–

Jack was certain that that last statement was completely unnecessary but he didn't care while he shimmied into some tight jeans, he didn't even know he _owned _jeans that would be taut on his currently diminutive frame, and grinned like a nutcase in the bathroom mirror. Even while he was too thin for his age he still looked damn good – at least in his own opinion. He wasn't too sure if Pitch wouldn't complain but that was fine too. He made his mind up that he was going to ask Pitch today...or tonight if he _actually _loved him. If the answer was no Jack decided that he could enjoy the thrill of forcing Pitch to watch his tightly clothed ass make its way out of his door. If the answer was yes then he could enjoy tearing him right out of these pants.

"I need to get something to eat." He spoke into the phone with an awkward smile.

_'Get something light...I'm feeding you today alright?'_

"Okay...I'm heading to the living room and I don't know if my parents are home or what so...no naughty stuff alright?" He said the last part of that sentence with a wide light blush dusting his cheeks, remembering what he said mere moments ago.

_'They still don't know?' _He sounded more disappointed that he couldn't flirt. Jack chuckled lightly and his embarrassment subsided.

"No and I'd prefer if it was kept that way."

In all honestly, he was upset that Pitch just _'couldn't accept' _his affections. _'I bared myself...'_ There were few human beings that he was completely honest to. Out of all the people and neighbors he knew and kept up appearances with there were only three people he never lied to and that was Jamie, Mary and Pitch – and the first two of those three was arguable. Jamie and him weren't even on the right footing with each other since the kiss and he would keep the truth from Mary to keep her safe and not break her heart about what was going on with father.

But Pitch, he knew just about everything. He knew about the abuse, the alcohol and he kept it all secret even while he wanted to tell...

Who else in the world could he trust as much as that? Not his own mother and father – that was for damn sure. He left the bathroom with a sour pout on his face and looked at Mary now seated at the living room table and eating a bowl of cereal, watching Spongebob again.

_'One day I'm probably gonna have to tell her.'_

He quickly grabbed a granola bar from the kitchen and hastily munched on it with a smile.

_'One day doesn't have to be today.'_

If it kept her happy, whatever she was thinking about William's overwhelming alcohol addiction, then Jack was fine with it. He leaned up against a counter in the kitchen and enjoyed the small breakfast he allowed himself – trying to enjoy and relax for a little while more only to have the front door swing open a reveal Katherine.

Normally, this wouldn't have exasperated him so much if he didn't see the male figure walking right behind her.

"Pitch." He whispered quietly into the phone, part of his heart quivering in absolute fear from the eye contact alone. "If I'm not there or haven't called you again by 1 o'clock...call the police."

_'Why? What's happening?!' _Pitch was panicking over the phone, loudly before he remembered what Jack said moments ago and hushed himself down. '_Jack come on, what's going on?'_

"Dad's home." Jack prayed his father couldn't hear that as he found himself near unable to speak while he looked into his father's eyes and hung up the phone. The look he was being given wasn't _human. _It looked like hate, hell and death all rolled up into one malicious stare – not once during the past decade had he looked at him like that before. Even worse, the teen could tell from this distance that he wasn't drunk. He was just plain _pissed_. He swallowed thickly and stealthily shoved the phone into the front pocket of his shirt before making it look like he was just straightening himself out, pushing his sweatshirt up ever so lightly to make the pocket look like it was just large rather then holding something. He took easy breaths to calm himself down as William made his way into the living room.

Katherine's long, chestnut brown hair was standing on end and there was a stiffness in her walk as if she was a gazelle walking around a giant and quickly waking lion. As if any light noise or sound could anger him further and wake him up, unleash a hell she never knew before today. Neither of those expressions were too far from the truth.

Mary mirrored her mother's in-elasticity in how she got up with her now empty plate of cereal and strode into the kitchen, fear-filled tear-brimmed eyes looking to Jack's for support and answer of what was about to happen.

Jack truly wished in his absolute heart of hearts that he could give his sweet little sister an answer that didn't involve having to teach her the definition of a 'triple homicide' and what it meant to them

William's walk was heavy, imposing, fear-inflicting and leaning on stomping as he came in, slamming the door behind him before walking to the front of the living room table, eyes once flashing to the television, before he sat down on the nearby couch and calmly bridged his fingers.

Three sets of eyes were all attentively focused on him at this point and they all were paralyzed in fear. The focus of attention took a long, hard breath that he exhaled slowly through his nose before he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and looked at Jack again – the receiver of the gaze couldn't help but physically tense up before his gaze shifted downwards to Mary, who gripped onto her older brother's leg and hid her face behind him, cowering in fear.

A burst of bravery – or perhaps the lack of self-preservation that Pitch had pointed out to him – made his hands move quickly to ever so lightly place a reassuring hand on the back of Mary's head, deliberate fingers smoothing down her hair to help he relax.

William didn't look amused at all and he looked to Katherine – who took a step back and breathed a little deeper while she seemed to break out into a cold sweat.

He opened his mouth and everyone listened. "Mary. Go to your room for right now."

Mary looked up at Jack and sniffled into his jeans before the white haired teen mouthed to her 'Go.' she nodded in understanding and skittered away into her room faster then anyone else thought humanly possible.

A tense silence stretched on before William spoke again. "Jack, stand next to your mother."

He took a huff of air and walked next to Katherine, not taking his time to fulfill the order since he saw no escape from William's wrath. The moment he got over there he could feel his mother next to him begin to shake with implicit fright and before he could give her a reassuring word, her hand gripped his left shoulder so hard that Jack wanted to grunt from the pain her nails pressing into his flesh – he was almost angered until he felt the shaking extend to her hand. Then he could tell it wasn't on purpose...

Katherine was scared for her _life._

"Both of you." The sound of his father's voice went echoing off the walls of the home and they both looked to him expectantly, fearfully, terrified. Katherine squeezed his shoulder harder and without realizing it she drew light crescent shaped pricks of blood from his shoulder. Neither of them even cared. "You both need to get out." Katherine's breathing sped up, probably in fear that if she left she wouldn't be getting back in and in the same type of bravery that made him move to help Mary, Jack gripped her hand reassuringly without looking at her. Her grip let up just a faction. "For today...you have to leave because if you don't leave – at least just for today—I'm not sure what I will do." Jack wasn't sure if that was a threat or William claiming not to have any self control regarding his possible actions.

In the grand scheme of things it didn't matter since both him and Katherine prepared to leave. His mother was in Mary's room getting her dressed to come with her, deciding they would have a surprise sleepover with a neighbor that kept inviting them over and Jack nodding and exiting the house – he had been ready to go for about five years now anyway. The moment the lukewarm September winds hit his skin he felt more free then he ever had before in his life. He practically _ran _down the block, only stopping once he hit the edge of the first sidewalk to make sure the female members of his family got out alright and then, after seeing a slightly scared and confused Katherine leave the home accompanied by a smiling and cheerful Mary who _still yet _didn't seem to understand what was going on he yelled to them.

"I'm heading to my study partner's place okay?" Katherine only gave him a quick nod in response before she grabbed Mary by the hand and speedily strode in the opposite direction. After a quick yank of his phone from his front pocket he redialed Pitch's number and held the phone to his ear, listening to it ring for just a few moments before an exasperated and anxious voice answered him.

_'Jack – for the love of...**ugh**. Don't frighten me like that. I was about to drive to your house just to check up on you and make sure you were okay.' _

"I'm still breathing for now. My father...told us to basically leave the house and not come back until tomorrow or the day after that or whenever."

_'Did he hit you?' _He whispered it as if it was a forbidden thing to ask and before the teen could remember that Pitch was more then likely in public and remembering his promise not to tell anyone about William's mistreatment. He wordlessly thanked him.

"No but...if looks could kill." Jack let the sentence finish itself as he crossed another street, growing ever closer to his destination.

_'That's to be expected...I can see you from here...' _Despite not being able to see Pitch he could _feel _his gaze on his lower body and resisted the urge to just shiver and moan underneath the obvious attention '..._Nice jeans.' _His voice came out as a purr, something Jack thought was accidental considering the almost over-the-top clearing of his voice that came afterward.

"Knew you'd like em." He grinned as he walked onto the block where Cafe Claussen was located and searched for a familiar face, ready to hop into his car and ride away with him.

_'And then maybe ride him, who knows?'_

–-

_**Pre - Warning : Chapter 13 will be smaller then this one. **_

_**But then chapter 14 will be fluffy fluffy fluffiness, over 7k or so words worth. **_

_**FLUFFY FLUFFY GOODNESS.**_

_**Chapter 13 release date approximation: 6/**_7.

_**Funfact: Not the biggest fan of this song either.**_


	13. Shut Up and Drive

_'Did he hit you?' He whispered it as if it was a forbidden thing to ask and before the teen could remember that Pitch was more then likely in public and remembering his promise not to tell anyone about William's mistreatment. He wordlessly thanked him._

"_No but...if looks could kill." Jack let the sentence finish itself as he crossed another street, growing ever closer to his destination._

_'That's to be expected...I can see you from here...' Despite not being able to see Pitch he could feel his gaze on his lower body and resisted the urge to just shiver and moan underneath the obvious attention '...Nice jeans.' His voice came out as a purr, something Jack thought was accidental considering the almost over-the-top clearing of his voice that came afterward._

"_Knew you'd like em." He grinned as he walked onto the block where Cafe Claussen was located and searched for a familiar face, ready to hop into his car and ride away with him._

_'And then maybe ride him, who knows?'_

–

Now, he would more then happily ride his boyfriend to kingdom come and back if he could do one of two things: _'confirm that he was indeed the apple of the older man's eye and not just an underaged fucktoy for his pleasure, although he severely doubted it'_ and _'find the goddamn bastard'_. He scanned the sparse but still existent crowd of various pedestrians – mostly teenagers blabbing on their phones about how happy they were that they weren't in class and how useless school was with some adults strewn in with a majority of them looking either busy, bored or unhappy. A few of them seemed to be an apathetic combination of the three.

But he couldn't find Pitch – and he was sure the man hadn't walked past him. He would've noticed the tall, slender, gray skinned male standing high or making long strides amongst the crowd especially when dressed all in black. He looked for at least fifteen minutes and still found not a hint of familiar gray skin or golden eyes.

He put the phone back to his ear and could hear the faintest sound of laughter and humor in the other caller's voice. _'So how's that whole finding me thing doing?' _

"Oh right you can see me...so wait you've been watching me look like an idiot for the past ten minutes?'

_'Well...no.'_

"Oh good."

_'I've been watching you look like an idiot for the past seventeen or so minutes.' _The sentence was ended with a deep chuckle that made Jack's insides do back-flips – he _loved _how dark and possessive his beau could sound.

"Pitch just tell me where you are so we can go." The younger lover let out a groan of displeasure – he wanted to call Pitch an absolute jerk for what he just did but that fucking _voice _was reducing him and his resistances to nothing.

_'Why? I'm personally having fun here. Besides...we could play a game if you want. Make bets even...' _He could hear Pitch's sneer-like smirk and let out a huff of breath, thinking of what to do that wouldn't involve playing into his older lover's hands. He really did love Pitch but he didn't want to refuse a challenge or lose – for him it was just too fun to compete and win to simply ignore it.

'Might as well.' Jack thought before taking a deep breath and responding. "Alright. What have you got in mind?"

_'Hmm...you find me in the next two minutes and I'll do whatever you say for a full half hour. If you don't find me I win and you have to be completely mine for just as long.' _He sounded so smug and confident, as if he was invisible and couldn't ever be found...the teen checked the inside of the cafe from the sidewalk, eyebrows raised when he didn't find him – Pitch said he'd be waiting outside the cafe...

"Does that time start now?" He asked as he looked around the faces of the crowd once more, leaning up against the wall of the cafe and looking over the people again, scanning faces to find him. Where could that bastard have possibly gone to?

_'It starts twenty seconds ago...' _

"Cheater..." He grinned wildly, loving the challenge that Pitch was throwing his way before he began seriously thinking it through. "Mind giving me a hint?"

There was a long pause in-between the question and the answer that made Jack think he might not get an answer at all before he heard Pitch's voice once more. _'I'm outside the Cafe and I can see you. That should be all the hint you need.'_

He sucked his teeth in mild exasperation and scanned the crowd one last time for the sight of a gray face before looking across the street – literally nothing. Not even the usual giggling gaggle of annoying teenage girls talking about MTV on their cellphones.

'Outside...can see me...' He looked around again and realized he was forgetting on simple thing: the parked cars. 'Oh God I'm a _dumb-ass._' He thought before he gazed over the line and saw that there could be at least five different cars Pitch could be in – and he couldn't remember what he really looked like from the night he drove him home. '_Damn it.' _

_'Twenty seconds left...looks like your mine tonight Frost...oh the things we're going to do together...I can just __**imagine**__.' _The low note that he ended on made Jack almost want to lose the challenge – _almost_. He gazed over the cars and tried to remember – what type of car did Pitch drive? They were all different colors and models. A navy blue truck, a hot red convertible, a black – '_Yup found him.' _Jack grinned and slowly approached the car, confident in his victory.

_'Five...four...thr-' _Pitch cut himself off when he looked up to see Jack, leaning into his car through the front driver door window with a seductive smirk and looking not unlike a streetwalker working a deal with such a look.

"I win."

"Indeed...will you be gentle with me?" He mockingly showed Jack a jestingly worried pout before laughing _again. _

"No." Jack said plainly before thrusting himself through the window, pressing his lips against the open, mocking ones that had no time to react before he began tortuously sucking and licking on them in revenge. Pitch let a small sound escape his throat and enter his lover's mouth – not caring who saw or heard and not wanting it to stop, ever.

It was way too damn good and seemed to almost set his body alight for more of Jack, wanting to tear the clothing off of his body right here and now in front of everyone – more to show absolute love to him, show him off and tell the world _'look at this gorgeous, beautiful, __smart, sweet little__ thing I've got'_ then to embarrass him.

But Pitch found himself soon kissing air as Jack pulled away, stylishly sliding across the front of the car and moving to the seat opposite the driver's. He swore to himself that he would not grimace from the lack of contact and instead focused on starting the car once more while Jack excitedly fastened himself into the shotgun seat.

"Alright, all buckled in?" Pitch said, pulling out of the parking spot before Jack could even answer – he too was excited to get Jack to his house and fulfill his part of the bet. He briefly wondered what Jack would do with the half hour of time...he had the car go at at a slow, leisurely pace and decided to make conversation, wanting to hear more of Jack's voice. "How have you been as of late aside from the whole parental issue part?"

Jack was almost too preoccupied with examining the car and how damn gorgeous, shiny and new it looked to respond. Everything had that 'new car' smell and feel to it – Jack could remember from back when William brought them the new family ca- He shook his head and answered, unwilling to let himself think of his family right now. "Good. My grades have been picking up and I think I gained a little bit of weight..." He swiped his finger down the car door, admiring how sleek and cool it looked.

"Liking the car?" He grinned as Jack nodded next to him and continued. "Nissan, Gt-R 2013."

"I promise you Pitch, one day I will know the science behind what you just said and actually give a damn about it." He declared as if it was his last and final proclamation on the Earth, jokingly regarding the sarcastic, non-caring tone before continuing to look around the car as if he lost something.

"It's the _model._" He let out a small huff of breath as he turned the corner, beginning to enter the more heavily wooded and more rural parts of the town. "While your looking around the car you might as well look for your brain, you seem to keep on losing it."

"I bet you have it stashed in here somewhere." Jack pointed his tongue out at Pitch before realizing he was driving and stopped, knowing its rip his attention away from the vehicle. Then a hush took over the car as he thought it over – he wanted to ask his boyfriend about his feelings for him...but how could he lead the conversation in that direction without it becoming too tense or graceless? "I'd trust you with it..." he whispered, almost as an afterthought as he figured trust would be a good place to start.

"You seem to be that type of person. Unbelievably trusting..."

"Really?" His eyebrows raised in a surprise and disbelief. He thought that would be much harder then it actually was.

Pitch made a sucking noise with his teeth and tongue then shook his head slightly and deliberately as he continued to drive. "Why do you trust me?"

"What do you mean 'Why?'" The white-haired co-occupant of the car had originally met to lead the conversation but so far it seemed Pitch was doing a much better job at it then he was and he decided to just let things take it's course. _'Maybe I could use the half hour to make him tell me why he can't just accept what I said the other day.' _He yanked those thoughts from his head and looked outside his window with an interested face, half listening to Pitch in the background.

"You've barely known me for a week for one thing..." He said, one hand coming off the steering wheel to lightly scratch at the base of his neck before placing it back. "And yet you climb into my car and come away with me like you've known me for years, and if memory serves you allowed me to put unknown liquid substances into your coffee when we first met."

Jack thought about it for a minute and then chuckled under his breath – Pitch was had a fantastic point going for him there. He was strangely unsuspecting of strangers, perhaps it was just Pitch though and the uncanny appearance that he had with his gray skin and gold eyes that drew him to the older man and in turn, got his trust. But overall, he was still breathing wasn't he? He was happier from trusting strangers...even more so then when he trusted his own famil- _nononono_. "And the problem with that is?" He quickly replied, not thinking as he tried to empty his head.

"You don't know me from Adam, would be the main problem with that." Pitch mentally reminded himself to stop spending time around Sanderson and all his Christianity referencing hilarity. "Didn't your parents tell you never to run off with strangers?" There was a tense minute of muteness between them that gave him the short amount of time needed to wish he could take it back – he could see from the corner of his eye how Jack's entire physical position changed and grew defensive. It would've been much better if he just reminded him about his simple lack of self-preservation.

"My parents told me I was better off dead while they got shitfaced on beer and didn't feed me." Complete and total deadpan as it left his voice and from what the driver could gather, no emotion showing in his face or eyes either. He could tell though – it hurt somewhere.

"...My apologies...that was...way out of bounds for me." He admitted, he _knew _Jack's parents were abusive. _'Fucking moron...'_ he insulted himself without speaking and only just barely resisted the urge to dig his nails into the steering wheel in self-hating aggression. _'Why do I always hurt the things I love __when I'm trying to be nice...__' _He bit his lip and gently shook his head again, emptying out his own brain and forgetting what he just thought, his want to forget what just happened between them unknowingly not being completely exclusive to himself.

"It's fine." Pitch could tell from the tone that it was _**not fine **_at all, not in the slightest. On the edges of his words were heavy emotion and need for comfort and love and to be touched and held and told that everything was going to be _okay_ and that he was loved...or Pitch was just imagining things. "I've learned to deal with it...it's just another 'Modern day tragedy' I guess...like the opposite of a modern day miracle."

And that was enough to bitch-slap him directly out of his thoughts about what he could possibly do to Jack once they got home and straight back into the present. He paused for a lengthy, quiet moment. His eyes flashing in-between pure, unbelievable shock and then heavyhearted sorrow. "Your reaction to it is a tragedy within itself...being OK with being abused..._**" **_He whispered the words under his breath and keep driving, now wanting more then ever to take his time with Jack, feed him, laugh with him, play with him and kiss him as passionately and carefully as possible. _'I can't..say that I love you...but I've got to show you how much I do. I do love you Jack, I love you...so much it hurts. But...I just can't fucking say it...__damn it...__' _Memories of September had him nearly screaming for some type of relief – but he forced himself past it. _'Jack's here. Jack's going to be fine. Jack won't leave you...' _He mentally repeated that mantra before letting out a heavy exhale of minor success.

"I never said I was OK with it." Hearing Jack's voice calmed him down ever so slightly but with the touches and hints of despair lingering in every syllable he just couldn't feel one-hundred percent relieved from either his memories of September or his worries for Jack. "...I'm just dealing with it..."

"I see...we're almost there so hold tight..." There was no reason to tell him to 'hold tight' but he felt like he had to reassure him in some way until they got there. Jack was merely gazing out the window, at best admiring the passing foliage that zoomed past the window as Pitch sped up and at worst just mindlessly looking at things with a convert frown almost completely hidden on his face.

_'If today's going to be my last day on Earth I'm going to spend it making you grin Jack Frost.' _He thought, slowly coming to a stop outside of his home and hiding his grin as he heard the aforementioned teen let out a long whistle in astonishment. _'And then I will spend it teaching you what love really means to me. You can count on it.'_


	14. Comfort Zone

_And that was enough to bitch-slap him directly out of his thoughts about what he could possibly do to Jack once they got home and straight back into the present. He paused for a long, quiet moment. His eyes flashing in-between pure, unbelievable shock and then heavyhearted sorrowfulness."Your reaction to it is a tragedy within itself...being OK with being abused...**" **He whispered the words under his breath and keep driving, now wanting more then ever to take his time with Jack, feed him, laugh with him, play with him and kiss him as passionately and carefully as possible. 'I can't..say that I love you...but I've got to show you how much I do. I do love you Jack, I love you...so much it hurts. But...I just can't fucking say it...**damn it all!**' Memories of September had him nearly screaming for some type of relief – but he forced himself past it. 'Jack's here. Jack's going to be fine. Jack won't leave you...' He mentally repeated that mantra before letting out a heavy exhale of minor success._

"_I never said I was OK with it." Hearing Jack's voice calmed him down ever so slightly but with the touches and hints of despair lingering in every syllable he just couldn't feel one-hundred percent relieved from either his memories of September or his worries for Jack."...I'm just dealing with it..."_

"_I see...we're almost there so hold tight..." There was no reason to tell him to 'hold tight' but he felt like he had to reassure him in some way until they got there. Jack was merely gazing out the window, at best admiring the passing foliage that zoomed past the window as Pitch sped up and at worst just mindlessly looking at things with a convert frown almost completely hidden on his face. _

_'If today's going to be my last day on Earth I'm going to spend it making you grin Jack Frost.' He thought, slowly coming to a stop outside of his home and hiding his grin as he heard the aforementioned teen let out a long whistle in astonishment. 'And then I will spend it teaching you what love really means to me. You can count on it.'_

–

Jack knew Pitch was either loaded or flashing cash at least half the time but this blew everything before now entirely out of the water. This could barely be called a _house. _It seemed to be a mansion in all senses of the word. Three stories high and a dark, roasted chestnut like color on the outside along with what appeared to be a river running through the bottom of the house, running along the small, flat stone path that lead to the main driveway. A chimney sitting on top confidently assured him that there was indeed a fireplace inside the home – something he was getting some very indecent ideas about right around now. Light brown stairs lead up to an open porch with what looked like almost-ripe upside down tomato plants hanging from the ceiling.

"Pitch your house is-" He turned to see a distinct lack of Pitch in the driver seat and looked around expectantly, on the lookout for any hint of gray that he could find amongst the green, fresh, life-filled foliage of the surrounding area. Then he spotted him already at the front door of the house, appearing to be fumbling about with his keys and trying to unlock the door.

Jack made sure to catch up with him before he was left behind, his mind racing over what the inside could possibly look like as he ran up behind Pitch just as he opened the door and swung it wide open to reveal -

Books.

Tons and tons of books piled here and there and everywhere else, on the furniture, on the floor, randomly dropped with a pile of at least twenty books resting in the middle of the living room in front of the extinguished fireplace. All of them basically had a reiteration of the same titles: 'Criminal Psychology and You', 'Inside the Minds of the World's Twenty Greatest Criminals', ' Criminal Psychology for Idiots'. The more and more he read and scanned the books, the more and more he got the distinct impression that maybe, just _maybe_ Pitch's job was involved with Criminal Psychology.

_'Just a guess.'_

He turned to Pitch with a questioning look on his face, a single hand raising to point at the volumes of criminal pattern behavior literature in question and received the most apologetic and emotionally upset face he thought his boyfriend could make with crying before the older man dropped onto one knee next to Jack and grasped his pointing hand. "I am...unbelievably sorry." He shook his head and lightly kissed Jack's palm with a look of apology that sliced and ravaged the younger man's heartstrings to pieces. "My friend is into this stuff as a career and he's forcing me to hold onto these books but I didn't think he'd actually drop them off at my house like this...please bare with me for a little bit?"

The younger man found himself capable of only nodding in response, charmed and mesmerized by how sweet-hearted Pitch could be. He watched the older man practically tear off his full body jacket and discard it onto a nearby coat rack to reveal – surprise – a form-fitting, sexy black outfit. Black satin, button up and loose fitting shirt that moved with the moves of his body and some tight black jeans that made his ass look like the gateway to heaven.

_'Wait...wait...what?'_ Jack squinted and tried to find out where that last thought came from before he watched Pitch almost scurry about the living room, picking up at least twenty books in under a minute and placing them upstairs in a room that he couldn't see – all the while unable to look away from how nice his behind looked in those pants –_ 'I mean.._._damn.' _

It took at approximately three minutes before the living room was straightened up again and Jack found himself able to really judge it before smiling. Pitch had some incredible taste – a rouge red reclining chair next to a few similarly colored couches, calming colors for the wall and a massive – at least 65 inch – plasma screen television sitting across from the rest of the furniture, with limestone green four foot tall pillars on either side that held vases filled with brightly colored – but not too eye drawing – flowers and on top of the impressive television was a triumvirate of three incredulously bad-ass looking samurai swords, obviously for decoration. A dark chromatic brown table sat in the middle of it all, more then likely serving as a table considering the coasters on the counter...

The place looked so nice that Jack felt nervous to actually be in it. He was fearful that the mere act of stepping inside could destroy something. He wanted Pitch to come in and make him feel more welcome and relaxed – he didn't want to sit down just yet.

He stayed standing, staring at different parts of the walls and admiring the additional decor that lined the fireplace – the safety gate had intricate patterns of flower petals in its design that Jack could view from his place by the open door - and the enticingly, saccharine scent of perhaps a sort of strawberry-like fragrance that floated about the air of Pitch's home. His legs started hurting after a while and he looked around for Pitch, finally seeing him come from downstairs in a huff looking moderately displeased until he locked eyes with Jack.

"What's the matter Frost? Suddenly too awe-stricken to unwind?" He teased with a grin and slowly walked over to the paralyzed high-school student with a seductive smile, leaning over him and nearly drowning him in his presence. "You know what I said before, young man. This isn't novelty. You can _calm down._" He leaned down and pressed a soft-lipped kiss to the temple of the younger lover's forehead before reaching past him and shutting the door none-too gently.

"Umm w-where do I sit?" He didn't want that stammer to appear but he didn't have the necessary power to stop it from rearing its ugly head.

"Anywhere you want. On the sofa, on the couch...my lap later on if your feeling a little hands on if you don't mind me saying." Achromatic arms embraced his figure and held him close, feeling their skin brush together in all the right places that their restricting and much unneeded clothing would ever allow.

"Okay..." Jack couldn't even summon up his usual level of self-confident bravado and act like he was capable of handling what was going on with a casual smile – it really felt like a he was picked up by his date and taken out to some fancy hotel or restaurant of some sort. "Umm s-so what do we do?"

"Anything you want...you won didn't you?" He jokingly questioned Jack and swooped close with their faces so close together that they could feel the brush of each others' breath against their skin and hear the others' heartbeat. Jack's eyes closed and he stood on his tip-toes with his lips puckered, now fully feeling the difference in height between him and Pitch. He got a kiss that was softer then air and put frantic, bright butterflies in his stomach.

_'Not yet...' _He whispered, not wanting to worry about whether Pitch really loved him or not and allowed this contact, queerly more innocent and more passionate then what he thought it could ever be since he realized that he really found Pitch attractive. He wanted more and looped his own arms around Pitch's body and tried to get closer – to no avail. The taller lover was resisting being drawn in and instead giving him kisses that only brushed against his lips, never gave him the full contact he so despairingly craved. _"Please."_ He mumbled in-between kisses as a plead for more but it was never granted, instead his lover's lips left his wanting more as he backed away and stepped out of the kiss – Jack's arms letting go without really meaning to.

"Let me know when you want to use that half hour, Frost." Jack was just about to open his mouth and say he was _using _it now, but the older cut him off. "But not now. Right now you need to get something into your stomach. Anything you'd prefer?" He began walking out of the comfortable room and into another – where Jack could see a large table garnished with what looked to him like expensive china and tableware.

"Ummm...ice cream?" _'Dining room.' _The younger thought before sitting down in the large red recliner with a secret smile on his mouth and grabbing the nearby remote up with a greedy hand, partial formality giving way to an ability to actually be more comfortable. He never did well when he was around at others people's houses, it always felt like the slightest fuck-up would earn their hatred. Plus he was in someone else's personal space.

He was wordlessly thankful that he and Pitch had an unusual relationship that made everything seem more natural and smooth-flowing.

"No ice cream before dinner!" Pitch yelled from what Jack guessed to be the kitchen pasted the dining room. He was almost upset before he thought about what he really wanted..._'Meat.' _he thought before letting out a small giggle that his boyfriend probably wouldn't hear and decided on something else.

"Spaghetti and meatballs!"

He could hear the sound of Pitch snickering away from that last part but he just shook his head and turned the television on, thankful that he could actually relax here...there was no tension that a fight would suddenly break out like when his father was drunk. No tension that he was running on borrowed time like when it was sober week or...as of late with William's less then agreeable attitude. No worries that his mother was busy downstairs, despising him for what he did and frightened for her very life.

Just...him and Pitch...and with one look at the cable menu guide and the rather impressive amount of channels it became him, Pitch and old Legends of the Hidden Temple re-runs.

Life was good.

–

After half a show was up Pitch came striding in with a massive smile gracing his usually stoic face, seeing Jack looking completely comfortable and unwound with a smile on his face. That was how he _always_ wanted to see him, not like that time in the cafe were they were lucky to even bump into one another and half of his face has been a huge purple bruise.

No, he wanted to see Jack smile for today – he wasn't planning to see tomorrow.

"Legends of the Hidden Temple Jack?" He asked with a sharp bite of snark and self-pleasing reassurance that didn't go unnoticed. "This came on television before I was your age..." He rested the pure white porcelain bowl and silverware onto the living room table and watched Jack slowly slide closer to it with his eyes never leaving the television – almost terrifying but too hilarious for him to actually be scared.

"My little sister likes Spongebob so...whatever." Whatever that was supposed to argue against or prove Jack wasn't even sure and so he let it drop and didn't bring it up again. Every pore on his body just felt more attentive and it made him feel nervous and frightened just a little bit more then it normally would when he was over at another person's house...why?

Pitch looked down at the teen again before thinking of resting himself, just sitting somewhere and admiring how Jack relaxed but at the same time he had an urge to run his fingers through that pure white mound of icicle-like hair...'_Decisions, decisions...'_

"Thanks Pitch..." Jack smiled and began consuming his food hungrily and Pitch felt a weight come off of his shoulders. He at least had an actually appetite to eat, even if he couldn't at times.

"No problem Jack..." He made up his mind and careful ran his gray fingers through the hair, front to back before resting there then working his way to the middle again. He could visibly see Jack's eyes avert from the screen to the plate and then to him before the younger man grinned nervously as if unsure. "Your hair is very...ice like..." He whispered, sensing the confusion in his lover's body language and look. "It intrigues me...and it feels good underneath my fingers."

"Your hand's really soft and warm..." Jack bit his lip after-wards before continuing to scarf down his food, feeling a bit off but not nervous from the sudden contact. He wasn't sure why Pitch was being so...slow all of a sudden. They were all but ready to fuck each others brains out in the cafe. Did everything just feel so _personal _now since he was in his house, eating his food, watching his TV, that he made with his hands – those soft, kind, pleasurably warm hands that threatened mere days ago to do things to him he would never say aloud? _'Yeah let's go with that.' _Strangely enough, he didn't feel like shying away. He wanted to press himself in a little more to his hand and enjoy the contact of their skin – anything he could get really.

None of the previous heavy sexual tension and lust was there – it was a strange sense of want that went beyond just wanting to _have sex _with Pitch like he did when he was masturbating. It expanded into a want to actually _be with _him...but at the same time did he not previously reject his want for 'love'? What was he even really _talking _about there? _'Idiot' _He thought depressingly to himself. He took a deep breath and shoved more spaghetti in his mouth, trying to delay the eventual talk that they would have because _dammit _every problem in his life had to be solved by talking.

"I'm glad you like it..." Pitch sat next to him, crossing his legs and turning towards his lover in wait – wanting to get his hands on him and please him mercilessly until he was on his hands and knees pleading for anything he could possibly be given –_ 'No.'_ He kept his hands to himself and decided to wait.

Now was not the time of lust. It was the time for passionate loving and caring and showing Jack what _'love'_ really meant and what heavy weight it held to him not just riding the living fuck out of him. _'Though that last part does most certainly sound fun...'_

"Alright..." Jack set the bowl down on the table and wiped his mouth with his hands before turning to Pitch. "Look, we need to talk – I need to ask you something so...I guess that half hour starts now. So yeah...turn this off." His voice came out as both demanding and shaking, as if terrified that his beau would actually deny him again. But the older man excepted and quickly turned off the television before looking at Jack with raised eyebrows signaling his own curiosity. "Okay..." Jack ran his hands through his hair – thankful that any and all spaghetti sauce he had on his hands and face was basically gone by now and wouldn't show up in his hair. _'Just...telling him to tell me 'I love you' is just...no...we should...' _Jack looked to Pitch for an answer and seeing none he crawled over, reverse sitting in his lover's lap now and still staring at him with questioning frost blue eyes.

Still nothing past his obvious increasing want to know more.

_'Well what were you expecting? Him to just confess his love to you and apologize spontaneously?' _He chastised himself before he puckered his lips and pressed them against Pitch's with less force behind them he normally would have. Skillful lips moved against his so abnormally naturally that he let out a queer moan of excitement and pressed harder, the opposite pair returning in kind. _'Damn that's good..'_ He pushed away then, still seated on the other man's lap but not kissing him. "Pitch..." _'Oh damn what should I say? What...what exactly!?' _He chose the first thing that came to mind."Make love to me." _'…...Goddamit Frost!' _Jack ran his tongue against lower lip in fright and his body suddenly had a spasm of movement – shocked at how quick Pitch was.

Familiar arms wrapped around him, at first he was nervous but after a few brief moments it just made him feel safe, loved and protected... Lips connected with his mouth at a different angle then his own and moved so well against his that he wanted it to never end. Pitch pulled him in even closer until he could almost feel skin through the clothes – feel how he was built and how fit he was and _damn_ everything just kept getting better and better for him. He let out a small, pleading cry for more against the other mouth and felt a small breath enter his own mouth in response.

He felt a wet tongue poke at his lips as if asking for entrance. _'Yes!' _He opened his mouth and immediately wrapped his own tongue around Pitch's again, groaning and wanting at the incredibly indecent sounds of slurping and licking coming from their connected mouths. It was _incredible _having him inside of his mouth like this, it just seemed so intimate and passionate – he was greedy for more of the contact.

But how would he lead this up to asking Pitch if he loved him or not?

Pitch's mouth _'despairingly'_ separated from his lips and then latched onto his neck with sucks and licks that had his mind reeling _'never mind'. _He leaned himself back and raised his head, giving his lover full access to his neck and moaning at every bit of contact he was getting. He felt a caring and sweet warmth spread all over him – his beau's all encompassing bodily warmth...it reminded him of the blanket cocoon. He smiled happily and whispered something that Pitch could barely hear. "I want to do this to you..."

Pitch's mouth never once left his neck as he said "Mmf...later." and burrowed his head into the crook of Jack's neck, the vulnerable and sensitive area right behind the ear and felt his younger lover's toes curl at his sides. _'Fucking gorgeous...' _He pulled him back up and onto his lap, pushing their lips together again with bruising force and mumbling praises in between desperate gasps for more. "Glorious..." Only to move down again and leave his younger lover wanting him – though not for long.

Jack swore he never felt better, more turned on or more vulnerable in his life when Pitch's tongue ran against the jugular of his neck. The sheer feeling of it gave him goosebumps all over and forced his mouth open to spill needy praises. "Pitch, _oh..._please!" He tried to bit down on his lip and stop it but he couldn't – and decided to just go with it.

He wasn't expecting Pitch pull away from the intimate moment – worrying him as to what he had done wrong and nearly apologizing, only to watch his lover to reach forward, grasp the bottom of his shirt and come close to tearing it off of him like some wild, uncontrollable, lustful beast...not that he minded as he was savagely pushed down onto the couch and his chest ravished violently with licks and sucks that moved lower and lower with every shiver and wave of pleasure that he rode.

"_Yes. _More...more please..." He begged and tried to get closer in some way physically – tried to move in and get more contact as a reward, only to be pushed back down and ravished more with abruptly greedy hands that ran over his nipples with an open palm once...twice...before squeezing the hard nub in between the long, careful fingers. Jack covered his mouth with both his palms, keeping the wanton moans from spilling out from his lips.

"That won't do." That was all the warning Jack got in advance of his hands being rudely yanked from his mouth and forced aside while Pitch's half grinning mouth lowered onto his erected left nipple, already hard and sensitive from abuse, and sucked on it with a playful tongue teasing it all the meanwhile.

Jack lost control of his hands and they found the mess of sheeny, messy, black hair and needfully gripped into the locks of it – beseeching for him not to stop _ever_, even if the world was ending in fire around them. "_Please_." He couldn't think of any other words to say – thinking itself was difficult. He had to struggle to remember what to do. Something about asking Pitch – _'ah. Yes. The love thing...oh God with a mouth like this I'm not sure if I __**care.**__' _

He knew he had to eventually ask the dreaded question of Pitch's intentions regarding their relationship but – _not right now. _He was too pleasure submerged, too horny and way too turned on to care about any of that. The raging, unstoppable teenage hormones running rampant in him needed to be pleased after about three to four years of emotional and physical anguish.

At the end of that thought Pitch – with no small amount of self control and immensely powerful emotional restraint – unlatched from his nipple and grinned down at him, now sitting up straight and tall. "There..."

"Nonono..." Jack mumbled and rose again, wrapping his arms around him once more and kissing his cheek – almost blushing from the way his lips met Pitch's face. Just a few minutes ago things were so much more passionate but now it all felt inexplicably more innocent. "I need more – it hasn't been a half hour yet has it?"

"No...no it hasn't." His voice abruptly became full of warning and caution, lower and more frightening then it had been previously. "But if I get a taste of any more of your skin, I'm not quite sure what I will do." And that was the truth, Pitch had no idea where this would lead, he didn't emotionally _want _to fuck Jack into his bedspread but his body had other plans and was quickly moving to get his mind in agreement.

The white haired shirtless teen just pressed up against him further, kissing his lower chin and trailing down leaving light butterfly kisses in his wake – and erected skin bumps. Pitch clearly _liked _what he was doing. "I don't care." He indistinctly whispered before moving onto Pitch's neck and testing the waters with a chaste, nervous lick. "Just want you to love me."

"I could love you without being inside of you an-" Pitch let out a grunt of resistance towards the sensations climbing up and down his neck – the last thing he needed while trying to make sure he didn't rip Jack's virginity from him and make him plead for more cock inside of his beautifully lithe little body was the younger boy's smaller tongue moving up against his skin like a kitten's. _'Much too adorable is still befitting...' _

He reached up and ran his hands through his smaller lover's beautiful white hair, still unable to rip himself away. _"__Jack _stop." Not intimidating enough for him to move away – unintentional. He felt the curious organ glide its way against his collarbone before two soft, little, sweet lips pressed a kiss to his skin. "_Please_."

"Not until you tell me you love me." He said, defying Pitch again and moving his hands underneath the shirt to feel up his older lover's chest with a happy, misbehaved, impish grin that spoke of nothing but mischief.

_'Oh...oh is that what this is about?' _Pitch cursed himself – he knew this would come back to eventually bite him in the ass but not this soon and not in this setting. He just expected Jack to not like him as much anymore and even though it was before he decided that he'd be leaving this world, he thought that it would help the younger just get over him after he discovered it. What was he supposed to do in this position?

He loved Jack. That much was absolutely certain. He wanted to keep him around for as long as he possibly could before September – No matter how much he tried to forget that it always bore into him and destroyed him inside - tore them apart. He was sure that Jack wouldn't want to see the emotional wreck he would become in a few days probably left a blubbering mess only to recompose on the first of October like a real nutcase – suddenly broken and destroyed then miraculously fixed as good as new like magic.

Jack didn't need to see that. Jack didn't deserve any of that.

But at the same time what did he know about September? About the atrocity that he committed this month that he seemed to have gotten away with Scott-free while a child lie dead? Probably nothing.

_'So why should he suffer for it?' _Pitch reasoned with what was left of his mind, the last remnant of his brain not dedicating to resisting the urge of thrusting into Jack until he was split in two. _'Why should I let his last memory of me be me rejecting him again?'_ He decided with a small frown and let out a real moan as he felt careful, amateur fingers undo the buttons of his shirt with shaky movements and half-unintentionally brush against his skin repeatedly. Jack's hands were softer then his own – he was sure. They felt like expertly woven silk gloves against his chest, the shakiness of the younger's hands as they repeatedly slipped off the buttons of his shirt only making him grin. "Ahh Jack...too cute. You know that?"

"What's...too cute?" The younger pouted as the button slipped from his anxious, unfocused hands again. He was _way _to excited just to remove a shirt.

"You..." _'Now comes the hard part.'_ Pitch took in a small breath through his nose that he let out covertly without sighing and kissed Jack's forehead, trying to reduce the restlessness that was speedily bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. These words were so hard to pronounce for him..._damn September_. "Jack this isn't novelty..." He moved down, putting a peck on the tip of Jack's nose and grinning before Eskimo kissing him, trying to summon the bravery through this loving contact with Jack. "I really...I really do-" _'Fuck!' _He took a deep breath and leaned his head to the side, brushing his lips up against his lover's, trying to bring up every once of emotional strength that he possibly could before blurting it out – none to gracefully. "I love you."

He was thankful that Jack responded so briskly and with such a heavy amount of affection and craving, otherwise he might not have been able to continue existing. Younger lips smashed up against his with force that made Pitch almost want to submit. _Almost_. The sound that came from Jack's muffled mouth after Pitch laid him back out on the sofa to be romantically ravaged again was a giggle and moan that sent the older's mind reeling and the quickly learning hands of the white-haired teen found their way intertwined with the black mess of Pitch's hair again while the rest of his body arced off the chair with pleasure.

They kept on.

* * *

The evening winded down and the new, loving couple found themselves comfortably intertwined in a large, fluffy off purple blanket in the large red chair downstairs. Jack seated on Pitch's lap and Pitch lying back in the chair, seemingly enjoying Jack's presence while watching some comedy special together that neither of them really found so much amusing on its own but became much more entertaining when combined with their cynical, rude and off-color comments about the clear lack of intelligence shown on the show. Especially when they seemed to unwittingly misspell their own show title.

Jack looked to the nearby window and saw the familiar darkness of night encroaching and briefly wondered where exactly he would sleep tonight, knowing the only reason he was curious about such a question was because he was hoping it was with Pitch, in his bed.

Definitely not because sexual reasons.

He was just wondering where he was sleeping tonight.

He checked his phone for the exact time. _'11:26 pm'. _He felt tired, even with his want to stay up and keep on watching bad comedies with Pitch...but his body's protests would eventually catch up to him and he didn't want to fall asleep sitting in Pitch's lap right now – not in such a restrictive place. Maybe in a bed but not a chair like this.

"Pitch I'm tired." He half-whined, half-confessed as a yawn made its way up his throat and through his mouth. "Take me to bed."

"I'm your boyfriend, not your slave." To anyone else that would have sounded more offensive then what it was meant to, but Jack knew it was more of a joke then any actual insult. He took the time to place a tiny kiss on his cheek and chuckled at the movement that signaled Pitch really was going to take him to bed. The older man picked up the younger teen and the rather massive amount of blanket that they were both wrapped in and retreated up the steps to his own room, Jack taking the time to press himself closer to his boyfriend in relaxation and relief – Pitch really did love him.

In retrospect he had no idea why he needed to _hear _it though. Pitch was willing to let him stay at his house, eat his food, comfort him, listen to him, hold him, touch him and keep dark secrets for him that he hadn't told anyone else. Hearing it like he had previously wanted to even though he knew it was true had indeed calmed him and given him a sense of satisfaction and security but really...Pitch's actions really did speak louder then his words even with that gorgeous deep beautiful voice...

"I don't have a guest bedroom..." Pitch spoke aloud without realizing in a voice that alerted Jack out of his daydreaming and put him back in the real world.

"Oh..." They were standing in a beautiful, wide open room on the second floor. It was obviously a bedroom, obviously Pitch's bedroom – he just hadn't expected it to be so _grandiose. _First off was the rather surprisingly big King sized canopy bed in the room, its blankets of a striking red and black against dark, attractively, well carved and well taken care of wood. The top blanket over it almost seemed to be made of lace but flowed like silk as Pitch walked towards it and opened it up, laying him down on it as if he was a fragile package that would break at the slightest hard impact.

Secondly was the fact that it had an incredible balcony that he could just see through the white see-through cloth draped double doors – it was a marvelous night out tonight and- _"Waaaaait!" _Jack got up with surprising speed considering his previous exhaustion. "Are those _stars?_ I could never see them in the city..." He peered through the curtains to see the night sky and could just feel Pitch's presence right by his side looking with him. "There are so many here..." He whispered, dumbfounded by the sheer amount of them and the awe-striking sight of the bright moon above them.

"Yes that's mainly why I got this place..." He felt Pitch's hand trail up his back, leaving a trail of goosebumps that were generally hard to ignore and set parts of him alight with memories of earlier that day. "Always so tranquil and quiet here, out at night." His voice was calming and low and Jack felt so...calm.

"It's nice here." Jack couldn't help but smile a little wider and turn his eyes downward, just noticing the telescope near the edge of the balcony. "You stargaze?"

"No." It was a short and simple answer that left Jack curious – maybe that telescope there was also something he was holding for a friend? But, upon closer inspection it looked far too short in stature and too simple and almost toy-like to be an adult's. It had to belong to a child of some sort. Was Pitch a father?

"Someone you know then?" Jack asked, poking around to get more information.

"Someone I..." Pitch's brow furrowed downwards and an almost angered frown garnished his face before he turned back to normal with sorrow still heavy in his eyes. "Someone I used to know yes. A young...friend of mine from back when I was around your age."

_'Couldn't be a kid of his then...maybe a neighbor's child.' _He settled for that answer, seeing Pitch's distressed and hurting eyes making him not wish to pry anymore into his past. "It really is beautiful out..."

"We can go out if you want..." His voice sounded so distant and gone, as if he was no longer 'here' with Jack. Part of the younger lover wanted to find out what was wrong and comfort whatever pain he was having but at the same time unlike Pitch, he really didn't have much to go off of – a facial bruise told a completely different and much easier to figure out story then a single item and a sad look.

"No." He nearly whispered it, depressed from his self-refusal to allow himself to go but he didn't want to pressure Pitch with anything more. He felt like that place and that specific item was something forbidden now until his beau told him otherwise. "Let's just head to bed..." He while wasn't sure what he meant by that, previous circumstances made it clear that they wanted to have sex but with the conversation just exchanged Jack didn't want to do it right _now_. Maybe later he would feel horny enough to want for Pitch to rip the virginity from him but not after such an unusually emotional moment.

"Alright..." Pitch no longer seemed to have the heart to either and instead, placed a tender kiss on Jack's neck the younger turned around to see him leaving the room.

"Wait- where are you...?" He let the sentence finish himself.

"I'm sorry but I can't Jack -" Pitch let out an emotionally exhausted sigh before turning back around and giving Jack the most apologetic look he ever received, his golden eyes downcast and upset while his hands nervously shifted from by his side to behind his back. "I just...not tonight – I know I promised and you asked but...not tonight."

"We don't have to do it right now...I just want you stay with me." His voice came out higher then he wished it to, anxious and awkward while Pitch walked back into the room with a nod and lie down on the bed, letting his high-school lover cuddle up beside him and spread the blanket he was carried up with cover them both.

Jack went out like a light, except with the fact that there were lights that made more noise then when his little sleeping lover's snoring – he actually had to make sure Jack wasn't faking, but no Jack was actually completely silent when he was sleeping.

He was also, unfortunately increasingly cute and heartrendingly adorable when he was like this and Pitch couldn't help but run the back of his hands against the resting, calm and peacefully gentle face in awe and love.

Never before today had he found himself capable of telling another human being that he actually _loved _them, even the few to whom he actually wanted to say it to were barred from hearing it – September's grasp on his life was shockingly powerful...and Jack was fixing it, fixing him and making him feel actually O.K. as compared to how he felt on those very first few days after the murder he might as well have played a major part in-

And he was gone, pushing himself up and out of the bed and rushing to the bathroom already knowing it was futile to try and hold down wave after wave of acidic bile. He almost slammed the door to the bathroom behind him and came down crashing in front of the toilet, letting his entire stomach go while image after image appeared in his head.

Happy smiles, congratulations, clear skies, beautiful day, Claussen, cotton candy – then pain, ground rumbling, building shaking, screaming, _blood _oh _dear god why so much?! Why **on him?!** _Tears drizzled down his face and he let his stomach just go and empty, no longer resisting the need to get everything he ate out as he tried to ride it out – both emotionally and mentally.

By the time it had ended he was making dry, painful retching sounds over the toilet and had nothing more to give. His face crumpled up and he gripped his nose with disgust – he abhorred the scent of vomit but he was glad he didn't eat any of the dinner he cooked for Jack. Red foods like spaghetti sauce and vomiting never did good for his mental state. He took a moment to focus before he finally shut the door the bathroom behind him and washed his face clean, trying to make himself relax and unwind just a little more.

_'Jack is right in the other room...you have to calm down. Don't worry him any more then you already probably have.' _His stomach gave another weak lurch forward as he remember the sound of another child's scream but it had no more to give and he only hiccuped in response. Ignoring to revolting taste of stomach fluids in his mouth he gazed into the mirror, whispering to himself._ "_You're suffering from survivor's guilt. You've done nothing wrong Kosmotis..."

His mind refused to believe that and he rejected it inwardly, even as he pleaded to himself in the mirror to _stop _torturing himself with this one deed that he knew logically was not something that made him guilty of that young child's death but _oh god the blood was everywhere, screaming, crying, **she's dead, **its your fault! You were supposed to protect her. _Pitch couldn't stop the hot tears that rolled down his cheeks. "I was standing right there..._why..._I shouldn't be allowed..." He took deep, even breaths and tried to reel himself back in. "I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..." _I should die, she's gone it's all my fault, stupid, stupid **STUPID**, you should have seen it coming, it was your job, weren't you the greatest?! Man of Steel?!_ "No...no I couldn't do anything- Oh god I'm so sorry..."

Before Pitch could even grab a hold of himself he dropped to his knees and then to the floor, bawling into his hands and crying for forgiveness from a being that had already left this Earth. He couldn't count how many remorseful, self-hatred filled, self-disgusted tears he had already shed over the past two years but he knew he could never cry enough for her as no amount of tears would bring her back. No amount of tears would put life back into her body and let her be able to smile again...nothing could put her back onto his balcony and stargaze like she loved to...He sniffled and let himself lay there, unwilling to get up or put the effort into his body to cease his tears, even after he had none left to give he still lay there on the tile floor of his bathroom, staring at the chestnut wood of the sink's cabinet and pitying himself and his actions before at last getting up and onto his hands and knees, using the edge of the sink to pull himself upwards.

He kept his ears sharp for any sign of Jack's movement before he began brushing his teeth and straightening himself out, making sure he didn't puke all over himself like a child and despite finding no evidence to the contrary he felt a need to change his clothing. _'Fuck it I'll do it tomorrow.' _Pitch thought to himself, not wanting to think about anything anymore as he enjoyed the taste of mint replacing that of regurgitated brunch.

He spit the remainder of used toothpaste into the sink and started the faucet, splashing water onto his face and swishing his mouth out – waking himself up but also ceasing the shock and depression. He didn't bother to look up at the mirror and try chanting to himself to calm down again, already knowing it wouldn't work even if he did. Instead he weakly walked out of the bathroom, feeling his way around the hallways because – as pathetic as it sounds and why he was just as excited to get back to his house as Jack was, he because he was barely here as of late. September usually came with the need to stay out of the house.

He had spent more time getting casual, rough, no-strings attached, no emotions needed or wanted, 'probably will never meet you again and thank the almighty for it' fucks at other men's houses after a quick visit to the local bar.

He made sure to be as quiet as possible as he pushed his exhausted body back onto the bed, ignoring the fact that he smelt of sweat and struggle – though he was sure that the scent of vomit he was sure was completely gone and that was enough for him – and collapsed in bed next to Jack.

He was spent.

* * *

_**Funfact: This is when the lyrics in songs/themes in movies/tv etcetc actually coincide with what's going on.**_

_**Song is Comfort Zone by General Fuzz**_


	15. Runnin'

_He spit the remainder of used toothpaste into the sink and started the faucet, splashing water onto his face and swishing his mouth out – waking himself up but also ceasing the shock and depression. He didn't bother to look up at the mirror and try chanting to himself to calm down again, already knowing it wouldn't work even if he did. Instead he weakly walked out of the bathroom, feeling his way around the hallways because – as pathetic as it sounds – he was just as excited to get back to his house as Jack was because he was barely here as of late. _

_He had spent more time getting quick, casual, rough, no-strings attached, not emotions needed, 'probably will never meet you again and thank the almighty for it' fucks at other men's houses after a quick visit to the local bar._

_He made sure to be as quiet as possible as he pushed his exhausted body back onto the bed, ignoring the fact that he smelt of sweat and struggle – thought he was sure that the scent of vomit he was sure was completely gone and that was enough for him – and collapsed in bed next to Jack._

_He was spent._

–

Jack completely forgot that he didn't _live _here for a few moments. He thought he'd get up and brush his teeth after grabbing his clothes from the nearby drawers and rush out to school without a care in the world. He completely forgot about his Friday off, family, their troubles, their issues, his _father_. Was that the effect Pitch had on him? Make him forget his troubles, zap them away with a wave of the hand and a kiss of the cheek like they just didn't exist anymore? Like they faded away in the ether and if someone asked him whether or not he was actually Jack Frost from the abusive Frost family, he'd be confused as to what they were even speaking about?

If so, it was absolutely amazing and he didn't dare ask for Pitch to stop. He enjoyed this lack of emotional weight and carelessness – that being said he didn't like his currently embarrassingly confused position relative to Pitch right now.

He had actually _completely _forgotten this wasn't his house and was actually looking through Pitch's drawers for some of his own clothing and became implausibly befuddled as to why it was all black or overall dark clothing – where were all of his light colored outfits and loose fitting sweatshirts? Who replaced his clothing with the emo-goth version of things you'd find at Old Navy?!

"_Ahem_" A familiar voice came from behind him and he remembered the entirety of yesterday along with the basic fact that this wasn't his home and he probably should not be picking through Pitch's things – the room didn't even resemble his.

He stood there, embarrassed with his right hand coincidentally coming very close to touching the crouch part of a pair of Pitch's boxers and feeling the curious bore of laser-like golden eyes burning a hole through the center of his back. _'So what...do I just put them back in and walk away?...' _Jack stood there bewildered for a couple of moments and then decided that that indeed was the best course of action. He shoved the underwear back in the drawers and then turned to Pitch, nodding for no real reason, before heading downstairs.

"Okay you know what?" Pitch said determinedly as he swung his leg over the side of the leg and got up. "Normally I'd be wondering what you were doing..." He could hear Jack's steps stopped and could hear a snickering – even Jack knew that was weird - "but for the sake of 'its Friday and I want to relax today' I think I'm going to let it slide." He nearly yelled, with his ears barely picking up the embarrassed laughter of his little lover downstairs that brought a large smile to his face. _'What a way to wake up, finding your boyfriend stealing your underwear...'_ He thoughtfully remarked, running a hand against the slightly achy part of his body where his shoulder and neck met – he must have fallen asleep while caressing Jack's face after his little outburst and slept on it wrong. He decided he could deal with it and stood up from the bed, going to check on Jack who was now standing in the middle of the living room with a blanked out face. _'Great, now he's going mental.' _He joked before descending down the steps with the sound of his approaching footsteps pulling Jack from his reverie.

"Oh-" Jack whispered before turning to Pitch. "Ummm...good morning?" He asked curiously.

"Well...yes it is but you're being weird..." Pitch remarked before walking up to Jack and gently pressing a kiss to his sweet little forehead, even when he was obviously confused out of his mind he was _impossible _to not touch. "Anything wrong?"

"It's just...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have going through your things I thought I was home again and-"

"Oh don't bother! Its fine." Another soft peck – he almost wanted Jack to stay confused just so he could steal more of this delicious contact, the taste of Jack's naturally sweet skin on his lips and all the beautiful feelings he could give it. It was good to know he just wasn't lucid after waking up...

"I was wondering though..." Jack mumbled quietly, slowly lifting his head while Pitch's lips made their way down to his own.

"Hmmm darling?" He whispered sweetly, pressing a kiss to Jack's left cheek and then his right with a wide smile of rapidly approaching satisfaction on his lips.

"Can I spend today with you too?" He whispered, pressing his mouth to the side of Pitch's own and let out a small sound of happiness from the interaction. The truth of the matter was that he wanted to spend everyday here – despite the embarrassing thing that had just occurred upstairs between them. This place really was so soothing and nice, such an opposing change from his own home and Pitch was so sweet and charismatic and charming and such a damn good kisser...he puckered his lips just to let his lover seal the gap between them for a few fleeting and peaceful moments – he'd never get tired of those lips moving against his...

And just as it started it sorrowfully ended leaving Jack looking up at Pitch with a silent plea dancing in his eyes for more. "Of course you can, it's not like I have much to do anyway..." Arms wrapped around his waist and Pitch gave him more sweet pecks, trailing down from his lips and to his neck that he _still _wished to mark as his own territory but did not for the sake of Jack's return home.

"Mm...well.." _kiss..._"You have _me_ if that's any-" _lick..._"Ohh...c-consolation." He purred and let Pitch lead him even more, letting that more experienced tongue dive deep into his mouth and coax his own out to play before they began dancing with each other, one wrapping around the other and slipping past. Jack let out an obscene moan and the older decided enough was enough. He pulled out of the kiss and grabbed Jack's hand, leading the willing boy back to the sofa they made out in the previous night.

"Jack...its only ten am...we shouldn't really." He teased as he sat Jack next to him and lead him downwards pick onto the cushions of the chair and underneath him. Pitch hovered above him, examining the just awoken teen with a smile. "You haven't even brushed your teeth and eaten breakfast yet..."

"Just a little?" The young man jokingly begged. "I promise I'll be good after this sir, I really do."

He wasn't even predicting how Pitch would react to that – nor the seductively rough and sensual kiss he would get afterward. The older man's face frowned for a half second before he grinned again and swooped in like a hawk capturing its prey. Their lips meshed together so _perfectly_ well that Jack felt as if he might need a little more then just a make-out session to hold him over.

And Pitch was more then happy to silently oblige, teeth nibbling at the white haired boy's lower lip and coaxing his mouth open once more for another ravaging kiss that has his tongue almost teasing the back of Jack's throat alongside a knowing hand running through his hair and calming him. The noise he let escape from him wasn't even intentional – at the point he was barely sure what was up and what was down...

Then he it was like he was dropped from near-atmosphere exiting heights as Pitch pulled away with a small chuckle. "I'm going to make us breakfast alright?"

"No...get back here and _finish _what you started." Jack weakly argued, barely able to do that with the breath still stolen away from his lungs.

"Later, trust me." The truth of the matter that Pitch just _loved _teasing the poor boy, he loved seeing those eyes double in size and then glaze over from the enjoyment of being kissed and seeing him just hand over control. He'd never say so though as then Jack might actually try to stop it and he just wouldn't have that..."For now, Pancakes and bacon."

The deafening, maddened groan of anger and sexual frustration that Jack released was possibly the greatest victory Pitch got that morning.

–

Jack forgot how long it was since he had actually eaten bacon. He thought back maybe five ears his mother was in a particularly nice mood and William wasn't around to harass them – he didn't delve too deep into that train of thought before he returned to the present. Too long. One day was already too long.

He shoved another piece in his mouth and smiled, knowing he looked like a moron in front of Pitch who had mysteriously chosen not to eat anything this morning – upon questioning he just said he was feeling too queasy for right now.

The older man actually wasn't stomach-sick, in fact it was taking up all his willpower not to go make himself something right now but he didn't want to end up freaking out like he did last night around Jack and end up puking half digested cereal. He settled for watching Jack eat happily – trying to make himself look as un-envious as possible.

"This is really good." Jack said with a smile, believing that all he was doing was complimenting his chef and all Pitch could think of was how much he wanted to steal from his plate or go make his own – unfortunately for him the young guest's description of his own cooking was not something that assisted him much in this matter. "You should have some."

"I should." Pitch replied, rubbing his hands together and remembering why he specifically did not make himself breakfast while taking careful steps not to begin letting his mind plunder into the details – not wishing to remember the cause. "But I won't. Hurry and fill your stomach..."

"Mkay." Jack said with a mouth-filled smile in-between large pancake bites that had Pitch sarcastically wondering if the high-school student had ever seen food before in his life.

"What should we do today?" He off-handedly to distract himself from Jack's more then attention grabbing chewing for his hungry stomach. "Or...what should I do to you?" A much more seductive then needed tone of voice that promised something exciting for later.

Jack swallowed and licked his lips, more out of suddenly being brought to attention by Pitch's voice then the syrup on his lips.

"Don't worry, just finish your food...I have to go get something from upstairs anyway..." Pitch got up hastily and headed upstairs while Jack swallowed down what was left of his food – finishing and pushing the plate away so he could sit on the couch thinking about what his boyfriend could possibly be planning to do to him. He had to admit it was exciting to think about what could possibly be coming to him.

_'Morning sex.' _He concluded. That would be nice, having his virginity finally taken from him after the too-personal moment last night ruined any and all of the mood they could have possibly had...but another part of him didn't _want _morning sex...ice blue eyes slid over to the fireplace in knowing and wanting.

The sound of Pitch's resounding footsteps made him almost jump from the couch and onto the floor – he entered a state of bravado and tried to play it cool as the gray skinned man came back downstairs with a smirk that Jack couldn't read before grabbing the finished plate and utensils and walked away, leaving Jack to wonder once more.

_'When would Pitch actually initiate? I mean, I know I'm not exactly legal tinder but...' _The teen thought, twiddling his fingers and trying to calm himself down so he could be as sexually alluring and charismatic as possible instead of just being his awkward nervous self – he already knew it wouldn't work out that easy, as if calming down was going to make him the most irresistible lay in the world but he wanted to at least _try _to seduce Pitch a little...

More footsteps that grew louder as his beau approached and his heart jumped into his throat again, something he couldn't hope to physically stop.

"Jack, lay down against the sofa and close your eyes." He didn't even have time to see where exactly in the room Pitch was or what he was doing before he all-too-quickly followed the command, obeying every word calmly despite the jumpiness and tied up chains of nervousness he felt inside of his stomach and throat. "Ahh...you really are eager for me aren't you?" Jack swallowed and squeezed his eyes closed just a little more, the voice was getting to him and it was being difficult to not feel as jumpy as he currently was. "So obedient and patient for your surprises..." He swore he could almost _feel _Pitch's shadow looming over him, startlingly powerful, teasingly confident and sexually imposing.

Another light swallow before he thought of something to try and say but he couldn't come up with everything, his mind freezing in place as a warming breath ghosted over his slightly revealed neck before melting inside and letting out a small pant of surprise and enjoyment.

"Good Jack..." A familiar palm embraced the side of his face and he pushed into it, mouth opening ever so slightly – the warmth and acquainted feeling of Pitch's hands on body feeling multiplied upon itself from his lack of still remaining senses. "Yes...so good Jack – very good. Keep that up." The older lover whispered sweet nothings into his ear and purred quietly in that tempting voice that made the high-schooler's skin and pulse rise. "Stay down." His orders were so clear, so _absolute _but at the same time, there was no threatening force behind them that Jack could sense – it was intoxicating. "Open your mouth."

Young, pink lips opened wide and Pitch pulled a small bottle of whipped cream behind his beck with a mischievous smile. "Keep your eyes closed for me...you're doing incredible." Another hand, brushed its way through the snow-white hair and made Jack want to open his eyes so bad – stare into the beloved's twin golden ones and purr half muffled words into his mouth while they kissed. He hoped he wouldn't go without contact soon...

A sudden strange noise, like someone spraying shaving foam and an even stranger feeling on his tongue that soon covered his mouth, made him curious – but he refused to more or close his mouth. Instead he focused on trying to figure out what it was that was filling up inside of him and think of what Pitch could possibly be doing...

It tasted sweet and airy – the sound before tipping him off right before Pitch really began having his fun. _'Whipped cream?' _His found himself unable to complain – though not particularly a huge fan of the foamy white ice cream topping he couldn't help but admire Pitch's sense of taste...

Especially when a familiar tongue delved into this mouth and began to let him taste and play with the sweet cream, the muscle poked and teased at his own until he responded and then it was almost like a dance the way their tongues moved together in an almost eery unison – Jack responding to Pitch's tongue so well that the older could swear he must've practiced when he wasn't looking.

The teen couldn't possibly get enough of him – he pushed to tongue rough and hurried against the elder's and got his own tongue wrapped up in a knot, along with hearing the faint muffle of a needy, heady moan from his boyfriend. The pure _knowing _that this was something he had brought forth from him, something he made Pitch feel, made his head spin – though that could have been lack of oxygen.

He pulled his head back for his own physical safety, he wouldn't let his lips leave those other ones for any other reason, and Pitch seemed to get it while he pulled himself back and admired the melting puddle he turned Jack into – noticing the deep breaths and the ever so slight and tiny mess of white cream dripping from his lips reminding him of all the dirty little things he and Jack could do together later on. "Beautiful."

Jack forced his eyes to slit open and gazed to Pitch. "Hmm?"

"Beautiful, you." He grinned happily and ran a hand down the younger man's cheek, enjoying the feeling of the alabaster, smooth, unblemished skin beneath his palm. The bruise had cleared up, luckily...otherwise Pitch wasn't sure what he would do to Jack's father. "You did so good for me, letting me taste you like that."

"Umm..." He ran his tongue over his lips, suddenly feeling that he _had _to lick them only to realize after hitting a state of halfway there clarity that it was because Pitch's mouth had just been there, smearing itself up against his. He licked them again before speaking. "Thanks?" Still not fully lucid, not fully back down from the space that Pitch pushed him into to be capable of full, logical communication. "I...I liked it..."

"I can tell..." Pitch got up with a grin to put the whipped cream back in the kitchen and tried to hold back the tiny chuckle that threatened to leave him upon hearing Jack's sigh – he obviously wanted more but the man he wanted it from was too wanting to tease, having too much fun giving the young teen boners that he'd have to will down, to really care. Watching those blank white cheeks flush with embarrassment and need, see the blowing of his pupils during those long kisses that sent his mind wandering straight into the gutter and studying each and every last reaction and movement that he made...

Pitch had to admit that just maybe he liked it a little _too much. _He realized as he placed the whipped cream back in the refrigerator that he had to play this exceedingly cautiously – and mentally berated himself for only seeing the strange, socially unacceptability of their relationship NOW rather then before. Their age difference and Jack's virginity along with their lack of what could be considered 'normal' childhoods – the gray skinned man refused to revisit his and instead focus on Jack's for that moment – could easily be seen as an abuse of his power as a mental doctor, people could say that he was just planting thoughts into the young boy's head and seducing him.

That wouldn't be good for anyone, especially not him.

The smart and self-preservation thing to do would be to cut ties, at least until Jack was 18, and then continue on from there but he felt as if he was in the conflicted teen's life for a reason – to serve a purpose as strange as it sounded. He couldn't see why but he no longer had the heart to end his own life, if only for Jack's sake. He gently closed the refrigerator door and rubbed his hands together before running them across his figure, pushing down the clothing and trying to figure out _why _in the first place he felt this need to save Jack.

Yes, he was a doctor and yes, September – he shuddered and took a large breath, telling himself that it was just a random month and nothing significant happened before he continued his train of thought – did leave him with a want to help children and make up for..._what happened. _But it was something deeper...something that left him with more of an indent, something discreet he must've noticed or been told...

A sudden ring of a cell phone yanked him from his thoughts just as he believed himself to be nearing an answer. _'Jack's cell.' _He rushed off to the living room and abandoned that for the moment, instead curious as to who was calling Jack...

And judging by the wide open pupils that had previously been glazed over from the sheer pleasure of thinking about sex and the foreplay that they were just during that ended up leading to nothing, he figured it wasn't anything that could be relatively good news. "_Who?_" He mumbled quietly and Jack looked at him and let out a sigh.

"Good morning Mom." Jack said, intentionally too loud so that Pitch knew who he was speaking too, blue eyes met gray before they rolled back up into his skull in annoyance. The other smiled from the opposite side of the room before sitting down on the nearby sofa, one hand cradling his head as he listened into the conversation. "Yes I'm fine, I spent the night with..." Jack seemed to think for a moment and Pitch opened his mouth to help him out, only to be cut off by a good enough cover. "My study partner."

_'...Not bad I guess.' _Pitch sent him a thumbs up and kept on trying to somehow read Jack's face so he could read their conversation.

"No I'm fine...yes I ate...no it was not poisoned, you can relax..." Jack rolled his eyes again and smiled at Pitch, who chuckled quietly in response. Both of his parents may have been abusive but Katherine seemed to at least moderately care about her son's immediate physical safety. "Yes I'm sure it wasn't poisoned Mom, I know him he's really...trustworthy."

Jack's eyes flashed to him in nervousness as he searched for that last word...'trustworthy'. The psychologist smiled and crossed his arms, leaning back into the sofa further and trying to relax a little more as he absorbed that. Sure, Jack was a very trusting person, they both agreed on that during the drive here but he could only wonder how many people he trusted that he actually talked about with his parents that freely. Couldn't be that many... "Wait...wait wait _what?_" And suddenly Jack seemed upset, shaken even. "Why!?" His voice was near scream and Pitch rose from the couch, shining gold eyes narrowed in his direction begging the question of _'what happened?' _Jack saw and rephrased the question. "Why would you head back home?"

And now Pitch was absolutely lost. His mother left home? Did this have to do with his father? Were things really so bad there that they had to abandon his home and leave it to his drunk and self-destructive father? He tried to hide his horrified expression behind a mask of stoic apathy but found himself incapable of continuing it for very long before he looked to Jack again – seeing his usually happy or at least calm face twist into own of sadness and abrupt worry.

"Mom Dad said- No I _know _that Mom I was kind of THERE, no. No. No. For God's sak- _NO. Look_ mom I know you- would you _stop _doing that?!" Jack was clearly trying to start a conversation but his mother was being less then cooperative..."Stop it!" He yelled loudly in defiance after that and then looked away from Pitch shamefully – as if dishonored by his outburst. "Stop blaming me for you-" Pure shock and terror in his face, out of nowhere – like nothing the older had ever seen, then an emotionally blank face that overtook everything before blue eyes broke down and tears drew from the corners of his permafrost pupils.

Warm hands gently hovered over his cheeks to wipe away all of the teardrops and Jack sniffled as he continued to listen over the phone, looking to Pitch for answer and resolution. He could just barely catch the word _'failure' _coming through the phone and he glanced at Jack with open eyes that spoke of nothing but compassion and love as if he could counteract all of the spiteful words he knew were coming through the small speaker.

Jack mouthed to Pitch, barely capable of keeping his voice intact. "What should I do?" A desperate question that said more then enough to get the important gears older man's mind moving and shifting to find an answer.

Pitch thought of a moment, thinking of all the different things he knew about how children's minds worked before realizing that Jack might as well be an adult already – a full decade of raising a sibling, seventeen years of age, good grades and on the verge of becoming sexually active?

Jack was no child and it would be an insult to call him one.

So what could he tell Jack that would possibly ever help him? Abusive parents, drunk father, neglect...

only one answer came to mind.

"Whatever you want." Probably the wrong one in this situation but after hearing about how much the young male had given up and sacrificed and seeing that bruise on the side of his face, he figured that maybe Jack _needed _to do something involving his parents problems for _himself. _ The white-haired boy looked at him confused before he clarified. "Talk." He whispered.

"Mom?" The word came out with a huff of breath and Pitch gave him an encouraging shoulder rub and a quiet kiss on the cheek, smiling and trying to help him along as best he could. "Oh so snowflake is there with you?"

'_Snowflake? Really? Is your uncle named Santa Claus?' _Pitch jokingly wondered but didn't let the smirk appear on his face.

"Okay look, I don't care what either of you do because its quite clea- _shut up-" _Jack hissed angrily and his free hand balled into a fist, this was clearly not their first confrontation. "- And for once _listen _instead of being ignorant like you normally are." _Definitely not. _"I don't care what you or William do at this point because really, you've both proven that neither of you listen to reason or even care about anything besides your alcohol." _Burn._ "But I'm coming home anyway. Why? Because I have actual family there and **I'm not talking about you guys.**Feel free to let William pummel you into a coma because really, as it stands, that's whats about to happen no matter how much I try to intervene." _Wait...did Jack intervene in a fight BEFORE he saw the bruise on his cheek? _Pitch's mind reeled and stared at Jack, questioning. "Just make sure none of the blood splatters on her and also, I may be a _failure _but when it comes down to it I'm the only one in the house that is lucid for more then nine hours a day so you can kiss my ass. Good bye Mom – yes I think your a complete failure as well. Good morning." He hung up the phone with a beep and frowned to Pitch, who gave him a close and compassionate hug that reduced Jack to tears...

"Jack I..." He felt a warm wetness begin to coat his shoulder and felt the shuddering of the younger body as he tried to hold back his upset emotions. "I'm so sorry...but can you really go back? I know its not the best question to ask but you need to know that I'm here for you and you can stay here for however long you lik-"

"No!" He practically yelled before muffling himself with the cloth of Pitch's shoulder, trying to get some air into his lungs.

"Jack, don't worry I can provide for both of us-" He attempted to comfort Jack, feeling the young boy practically shaking in the seat with an overwhelming myriad of different emotions.

"I have to go home..." Jack whispered, eyes wide open and pupils darting to different areas around the room as if looking for an answer for action written against the walls.

"Jac-"

"_Please._" He begged and crooned into Pitch's ear before the older one pushed him away, ever so slightly.

"What is _wrong?" _

"I...need to go home Pitch my father..." He wasn't calmed down so much as accepting his fate and Pitch nodded, the having to go home was obvious but he still had no idea what was going on and Jack didn't seem to be capable of telling him the full story _right now _about his current family situation.

"Alright." Just because Jack couldn't tell him doesn't mean he wouldn't continue to take care of him and care for him. "Take a shower or something before we leave though, I know its technically your home-" Pitch lied, he really doubted that 'home' was a place Jack was really welcome. "But you want to be presentable."

Jack looked at him as if he was insane but the stern look that Pitch gave him in return had him stomping upstairs. "It's the door at the left end of the hallway." The rather unneeded slamming of the bathroom was actually shocking, if only momentarily.

As the water turned on upstairs and the faint sound and hurried personal grooming continued – Jack's nervousness probably pushed aside for his urgent need to get to the house – Pitch tried to brainstorm a way to keep him here. He didn't _want _for Jack to have to leave, he didn't want to send him off to face his parents...

He collapsed into the nearby sofa and brainstormed, thinking of every excuse and reason that could possibly keep the young boy here, 'Car is out of gas' He'd walk. 'I don't feel safe about you going back there' he'd probably argue. 'I want you to stay here with me' though that was true he needed to leave, that much was certain. He could read the disparity in the ice blue eyes.

Sooner then he thought Jack came stomping back downstairs, same clothing on and quickly drying his hair with a white towel, his hands tearing at his hair through the piece of cloth as if there was a spider crawling in it but Pitch knew that Jack was just upset about the wasted time.

_'Not much I can do...' _He bit his lip to muffle the angered grunt that would have left him if he had kept his mouth open – he didn't _want _to hold him up, whatever had him going back must have been deathly important, but he didn't want to let him just run back to his abusive parents' house either. "I'm sorry."

Jack paused his aggravated hair drying and looked at Pitch, confused before his lips pursed and formed an 'O', as if catching onto his boyfriend's plan. "It's...it really is fine. I understand I guess." He ran a anxious hand through his hair – he really needed to go _now_. "But I have to go back now. I...I can't promise that everything will be okay but, you know...I can't stay here. I'd love to...really..." Jack's eyes seemed to be focused on a point a million miles away, the last of his words coming out like dreamy mumbles through light sleep before he seemed to jump back into the present. "Please drive me back home."

"Of course I will." Pitch got up, regrettably, and headed for the door with Jack walking right behind him before he turned around and spoke jerkily. "But you must _promise _me one thing."

The younger man nearly jumped back from surprise before he was able to form a response. "Sure, what is it?"

"Don't you _dare _let that man lay another abusive finger on you without retaliation! Do you understand?" Pitch asked, eyes carrying a world of anger inside of them along with a twinkle of what could've been tears – Jack could barely tell from how he was holding himself. The high-schooler nodded, not understanding what Pitch was exactly him to do when and if William hurt him again but he suspected that Pitch was actually expecting him to _fight back_.

After the conversation on the phone and the last few days...he'd probably punch William even if he DIDN'T initiate the fight.

Pitch smiled and opened the door for him, allowing him to leave the house and enter into the car first.

As if realizing that he was actually _leaving,_ Jack felt a wave of misery come over him as he buckled himself into the front driver's seat. The past day and a half had been absolutely blissful with not a real worry in the world – the single exception being the 'love' problem that had easily and deliciously resolved both the afternoon he came over and this morning – it had been a totally peaceful bastion for his emotional comfort that hid him from his parent's depression inflicting influence.

And now he was literally, of his own will, leaving it and heading back home before he was even called for...He wasn't sure this time if after experiencing so much happiness and delight if he could be able to keep on...

But he needed to, he knew that much. Katherine taking Mary back to William this soon in time would not end well if he just left them alone, the way his stomach lurched forward upon hearing his mother's voice confess that she and her eight year old daughter had, after a single night, gone back to William even after he told them to stay away for a _couple days_ at _least_, was still hurting him. How could Katherine be so _stupid? _It boggled Jack's mind...how could she have literally NO care for Mary's safety...

Or maybe she had the same problem Pitch said he had – no real sense of self preservation. Either way, he had to get home as soon as possible...

He had to keep on.

Funfact: Burgess' location is in the same State I live in: Pennsylvania.


	16. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

_Pitch smiled and opened the door for him, allowing him to leave the house and enter into the car first. _

_As if realizing that he was actually leaving, Jack felt a wave of misery come over him as he buckled himself into the front driver's seat. The past day and a half had been absolutely blissful with not a real worry in the world – the single exception being the 'love' problem that had easily and deliciously resolved both the afternoon he came over and this morning – it had been a totally peaceful bastion for his emotional comfort that hid him from his parent's depression inflicting influence._

_And now he was literally, of his own will, leaving it and heading back home before he was even called for...He wasn't sure this time if after experiencing so much happiness and delight if he could be able to keep on..._

_But he needed to, he knew that much. Katherine taking Mary back to William this soon in time would not end well if he just left them alone, the way his stomach lurched forward upon hearing his mother's voice confess that she and her eight year old daughter had, after a single night, gone back to William even after he told them to stay away for a couple days at least, was still hurting him. How could Katherine be so stupid? It boggled Jack's mind...how could she have literally NO care for Mary's safety..._

_Or maybe she had the same problem Pitch said he had – no real sense of self preservation. Either way, he had to get home as soon as possible..._

_He had to keep on._

–

He forced himself to swallow down his ever-increasing anxiety and at least try to relax and restrain himself from yelling at Pitch to stop the car, turn back around and never bring up his life back at 'home' again. But then he thought of Mary whose smile and gaze and happiness were his only real drives that kept him going after the drinking went from carefree to violent.

If he left with Pitch he'd abandon her with his drunk father and perhaps veering on mentally unstable mother. She deserved better then that – she may have been only eight years old but she lived in that house with their parents too, almost seeming to fully understand their predicament. Mary would make him grin and laugh and have _fun _even in the midst of William's worst drunken rage and Jack refused to repay her steadfast commitment to her happiness by abandoning her, he knew he was better then that.

He had to go be with her and keep her safe, especially from their father.

"So." Pitch spoke, as if sense his deep thinking and trying to at least help him a little bit. Jack smiled appreciatively at him for it. "How are you this afternoon?"

"I'm good...thanks." He spoke quietly, not really meaning to put so little power or volume in his voice and trying to make up for it by sitting up in his seat a little straighter. He couldn't help but be a little worried for whatever was happening back at his home while they were driving there but at least Pitch was helping, distracting him from the troubling thoughts and visions of his own overly worried mind...at least he _hoped _he was just overly worried.

"Sleep well?" The older man turned the steering wheel and made a smooth turn while Jack began to admire the scenery passing by him as the grasses, bushes and large trees that surrounded his boyfriend's home sped by, moderately visible as they drove back home and the amount of green in his immediate line of sight decreasing at a steady rate as if it was a count down to their arrival.

"Yes, thanks..." Jack's mind was far, far away at this point and so Pitch decided he'd need to try something a little more distracting...

"Hey Jack, I'm curious...when's your birthday?"

More attempts at distraction, more thanks...more need to resist his worry and relax his mind. '_Every thing is __**fine**__. You're going to get home and Mary will be fine...'_ "December 21, 1996." He spoke quietly and rubbed his hand up and down his thigh, very slowly as he could see houses in the distance. At least fifteen more minutes...

"That's...winter equinox isn't it?" Pitch knew the way to Jack's house but was considering taking a wrong turn and saying he forgot – he didn't want him to go back so quickly. He couldn't stand the thought of just sending him back without any security or safety, back into a home with an emotional child abuser _and _a physical one.

"Yeah, around that time.." His mind was being drawn away again.

"You're just full of winter jokes aren't you?"

"You have no idea..." He tried to just go off on a rant or something, something to distract himself a little more. "You don't know the half of it. My favourite food is ice cream, my second favorite food is white fluffy cotton candy, you already know the whole Jack Frost thing-"

"And let me guess, your favorite movie of all time is Frosty the Snowman." Pitch joked happily, smiling at last since Jack was now talking instead of being worrisome.

"Nope. Antz...turn left on the corner here. Third house down."

Pitch already knew the way but he didn't bother to tell Jack that, if it kept him speaking. As he turned the corner, he stared at the familiar house for a little more then what he should have and Jack picked up on it. "I'm sorry I really shouldn't be shocked...it's just its a beautiful house..."

"Dad can be drunk and work well at the same time." There was less emotion in that sentence, mostly because it wasn't about _praise_, so much as it was about telling the truth. "You'd be surprised how many parent teacher conferences he's been completely smashed at with my teachers being none the wiser." To anyone else those would sound like compliments...he was thankful Pitch was not anyone else and could give him a sad nod as they pulled up.

"Well here's my stop..." Jack mumbled softly, wanting nothing more then to dive back into the car and leave this place far, far behind him as if it was just a terrible dream.

"Yeah..." Pitch couldn't say too much, fearing that he'd say that wrong words and instead pulled his hand up and gently caressed the beautiful, messy albescent hair on Jack's head. The teen smiled and pushed himself just a little bit closer – nothing too serious should they be seen but more intimate and open then before. "Visit me again soon?"

"Of course!" Jack almost yelled excitedly at the prospect of a 'next time'. Him _back_ at Pitch's house...all the things they could possibly waste the day away doing...

Pitch pulled his hand away at long last and Jack slowly reached for the door and let himself out, not wanting to take forever so that he could go be with Mary but not wanting to leave so quickly either...

But the moment his foot touched the concrete he could feel it...something _horrible _was about to happen. It was like he could feel it in the air, in the ether, it was striking and horrendous and it was like his _gut _or his _soul_ even was calling for a different action rather then just 'step inside and hope everything is O.K'. Because it _wasn't_.

Jack licked his lips, breathing suddenly becoming a difficult task for his lungs to accomplish. It was like all of his survival instincts had at once returned – despite Pitch saying he had no real sense of safety for himself it was like he could _feel _the danger inside that house...He looked over to Pitch who glanced back him, bewildered and curious. Merely approaching the home felt like it was going to suck all the air and life from his body...his hands shook and his feet refused to move forward...

"Jack...what is it-" Pitch was cut off when Jack's trembling hands grasped his arm as if the younger man was falling off of a cliff and he was the only means to survival...and currently in Jack's mind that was the perfect truth.

"S-something's wrong." Jack couldn't calm himself down for some reason, it was like he _knew _something was going to happen if he walked in there alone. It wasn't fear, it was like a resounding knowing deep inside himself..._'If I go in there alone I'll die.' _was the beginning and the end of it. "I-I don't know what or why but I just feel like you, you need to come in or something."

Pitch would not abandon the opportunity to not only come into Jack's house but to also get a good look at his father and possibly make an assessment, he was a _doctor_ technically. Not a specialist in medicine but he could make basic deductions about his father's level of health and fitness. Maybe he could tell if he was going to die of liver failure or alcohol poisoning soon.

That'd actually be nice.

He nodded and opened the door on his side before motioning to Jack's hand and back up at him. Jack had to literally tear his hand away from his beau's body and hold it at his side with his opposite arm in order to just let go and give him enough space to leave the car. At the slamming of the driver's side door came a promised safety that struck a chord inside of him that ensured a sense of 'safety' or protection. All of his inner sensors went from full on danger mode to normal at the sheer hearing of a _single sound. _

There was one thing that Jack knew for certain and that was that his parents wouldn't attack if another person, outside the family, was in the house.

"Your parents don't know who I even am really..." It was just idle talk with no real point behind it while Pitch rounded the front of the car and stepped onto the side walk, giving Jack the lightest touch on the shoulder to calm him down. Beneath his hands he could feel the way Jack's tense body went a little lax and that was enough to compose them both back to a 'normal' state for now.

"Yes...and that's probably the best thing." Jack lowered his voice even though they hadn't even entered the house yet, he feel comfortable now walking into the house with Pitch at his side...it felt like he could actually make it. "My parents will act really polite and non-violent when you're around...what time is it?"

"Around..." Pitch pulled back his sleeve checked his silver watch again and Jack let out a small groan that he was almost certain the older man picked up on – he had to admit that he really liked it when Pitch showed a little gaudy style like that... "About 3 o'clock. Pre-midnight of course."

"Perfect." Jack said, letting a deep breath escape him as they finally stepped up onto the porch and straightened themselves out ever so slightly with Jack pulling his shirt down and flattening it out a little more and Pitch straightening the sleeves of the black long coat he decided to put on before leaving the house – Jack only just noticing how it looked and realizing just how mysterious he seemed with it on – making sure they didn't look like total pig-pens before Jack built up the bravery to knock on the door.

The sheer _speed_ at which Katherine swung the door open was a world record breaker, both Jack and Pitch were sure about that. But the way she went from looking like a completely terrified mess to an entirely calm and perfectly normal woman had the psychologist in Pitch worried for her mental safety and health.

"O-oh Jack you..you brought a guest." Katherine showed them both a wide smile, Pitch could tell it wasn't actually happiness...it was forced formality at best and sheer honesty with little feeling or care in it at its worse. Perhaps it was his skin color that set her off – he forgot about that sometimes...but then she leaned in, just a little bit closer to Jack and mouthed something that Pitch could just barely make out as a 'thank you' before hastily pulling away and yelling. "Honey, we have a guest." There was far too much suppressed _delight _in that, too much relief, for it to not have been a miracle – at least for her – that Jack had asked Pitch to come into the house with him.

That sent his mind reeling... despite claiming he wouldn't judge Jack's family he thought that Katherine was an abuser who didn't care for him...he hadn't considered that maybe, just maybe, Jack's mother wasn't nearly as bad as she sounded over the phone.

"Come in! Come in!" She said happily, stepping out of the way and opening the door wide for them to enter. Jack smiled up at Pitch before going in and the older, though mesmerized by the sheer wonder of Katherine's personality and what he thought was mere alcohol abuse now becoming something _far _more complex and difficult to handle then before.

The living room was nothing short of immaculate, a large television, a beautiful couch with numerous large pillows and a long table nearby most likely used for eating...he didn't understand how Jack's parents could possibly be as terrible as they had been described to him...

Did Jack _lie _to him?

"I was just about to start cooking dinner!" Pitch silently confessed that Katherine had all the charm and charisma of a television personality with a perfect smile to boot. She did seem to be the tiniest bit obnoxious, although she _was _wearing an extremely bright yellow blouse and skinny jeans so that could just be his hatred of bright colors shining through again. "I insist you stay, Mister...?" She turned to Pitch with her white smile on full blast.

And wait...she was drunk half the time? After a moment of shock he smiled and gave her the slightest of bows. "Kozmotis Pitchiner, but do please call me Pitch." He raised his hand in greeting and showed her his best possible smile as she took his hand. "Delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Katherine." Jack stared as his boyfriend went from completely stoic to completely prince-like, purring every word and giving the woman in front of him all of his attention with mannerisms and being almost scarily polite with the faintest touch of a British accent on his tongue. He was certain that if Pitch turned his charm on any harder he'd be covered in bitches by the end of the day...Then he saw Pitch's smile. Jack would bet money on it. "Jack talks so highly of you." And now he was entirely bullshitting. "It's a joy to finally get to see you in person."

The blush that covered Katherine's cheeks almost had her entire face going to the color of tickle me pink. "W-well, it's nice to finally meet a friend of Jack's."

_'If she touches my man like this anymore we're gonna have a fight.' _Jack resolved mentally before deciding it was time to speak up and make his claim known – not revealing their sexual attachment but at least saying enough to make Katherine stop ogling over him like she was a hardcore teen male pop star's fan-girl. "Yeah Pitch is my study partner for college example courses and pre-college study." Complete lies. He didn't care. He wanted his mother to stop touching his lover like he was actually available.

"Oh well..." She sounded disappointed, like someone had shot her down from the sky – _really mom! __He's not even within ten years of your age!__ - _and let his hand go with a grin. "Well please do stay for dinner at least, we'd really enjoy the company."

Jack couldn't focus on them anymore and instead was the first one – and he hoped the last one – to see a very _angry _and violent looking William Frost standing in the hallway that lead to their parent's bedrooms.

It had felt like it was so long since yesterday, so long since he had gazed into his father's eyes and seen that alarmingly unmistakable glint of murderous intent and the promise of pain and punishment shining in his brown eyes. In truth it really was just yesterday and the way it hit him full blast came as a surprise – maybe this was something he had to learn to deal with. In the background he could just barely hear Pitch's commonplaces, sounding almost flirtatious in nature, as he looked back at William.

He wasn't sure why...but William's eyes shined with something other then spite and hatred this time...something that he couldn't recognize but didn't like a single bit. It took the air from his lungs and his survival instinct activated again...he had to get both him and Pitch out of this room.

Looking up at his secret lover he could tell from the slight tightening of his jaw, the slight pause in between words and the flash of golden pupils going from the doorway and back to Katherine's face that he clearly saw William standing there, glaring at him.

"I really would hate to intrude but if you insist, I'm yours for the evening milady." He bowed again and he could almost see Katherine mentally stopping herself from squealing – the way that last sentence was worded did **not **help anything, he could almost see William's face of anger twist and change into one of obvious violence, like something out of a demonic possession film. Pitch saw it too and pursed his lips.

"Yeah, we have to go upstairs now though." The rough way Jack gripped Pitch's arm and nudged him forward towards the entrance staircase to his own room clearly broadcasting his anger and need to escape from the room – William's gaze becoming uncomfortably violent and making both Pitch and him shift about in an anxious daze. "Studying."

"Alright, I'll call you two back down when dinner's ready." Katherine sounded like she was on cloud nine from Pitch's attention and nearly swooned before she walked into the kitchen to begin dinner preparations. She too had seen William's hard gaze...but she knew better unlike Jack and Pitch. The two parents knew William didn't have the sheer balls needed to attack the three of them. She was safe until Pitch left and perhaps until the day after – William would need to head to work tonight, something she loved and hated about his sporadic hours at his job. He would need to leave suddenly and often at times and that's when she would be truly happy...

She grinned and decided today she'd make chicken stir fry from scratch.


	17. Here comes the Boogeyman

"_Yeah, we have to go upstairs now though." The rough way Jack gripped Pitch's arm and nudged him forward towards the entrance staircase to his own room clearly broadcasting his anger and need to escape from the room – William's gaze becoming uncomfortably violent and making both Pitch and him shift about in an anxious daze. "Studying." _

"_Alright, I'll call you two back down when dinner's ready." Katherine sounded like she was on cloud nine from Pitch's attention and nearly swooned before she walked into the kitchen to begin dinner preparations. She too had seen William's hard gaze...but she knew better unlike Jack and Pitch. The two parents knew William didn't have the sheer balls needed to attack the three of them. She was safe until Pitch left and perhaps until the day after – William would need to head to work tonight, something she loved and hated about his sporadic hours at his job. He would need to leave suddenly and often at times and that's when she would be truly happy..._

_She grinned and decided today she'd make chicken stir fry from scratch._

–

"_'I'm yours for the evening milady?" _Jack quoted with a half-offended, half-joking hint of mirth lining his voice, that particular sentence somehow annoying him despite already knowing what Pitch was actually doing. He went up the steps two at a time, not realizing.

"First rule of getting past other people's parents Jack: Get the Mom to like you and Dad usually follows suit." Pitch followed him calmly, knowing he had upset Jack and trying to be as charming as he possibly could now to Jack – already knowing he couldn't lay it on too thick after the display he put on downstairs. "But with your father..." He allowed Jack to take that sentence wherever he pleased, hoping that his point would make itself evident.

"You just don't know." Jack said, moderately disconnected from the conversation, too deep in thought to actively continue as they at last reached the top of the stairs and he instinctively moved to flick the light on. His eyes looked to be far away, as if looking into a place that was so distinct that it caught his attention and kept it and yet so distant that he couldn't make it out.

William's bloody gaze clearly had its mesmerizing results. He felt stiff and frightened, like he couldn't move...or more like the slightest movement might kill him. He shook himself from his thoughts and back onto Pitch, who had placed his hand on the worried young man's shoulder and gave him a caring smile – he too could feel William's unrelenting anger and hatred.

"I'm sorry." The older man mumbled and swooped in close, giving Jack the warmest hug he could possibly give a human being with his face resting in the gentle curve line of his neck and breathing evenly. Jack, reasonably baffled by such an apology, hugged him back.

"Why are you sorry?" His voice was quiet and low, as if someone was listening in on their conversation and trying to hear them...and with his father's previous behavior downstairs he didn't doubt that the man was outside of his door right now, glaring maddeningly hard at the two and a half inch thick door as if he could kill the occupants of the room with his very gaze.

"Because you're here...and she's here..." Pitch bit his lip as waves of sickness and grief came close to overtaking him, eyes focused and unblinking as he stared in shock at the familiar looking figure standing directly behind Jack. He slowly pulled away with what he believed to have been Jack's permission after his white-haired lover's arms began to drop to his sides.

"She? Katherine?" Jack asked curiously, now shoving his hands into his pockets at his sides and trying to shrug off the effects of the deathly gaze he was given downstairs.

"No. Her." He fully got up from his bent over position of hugging Jack and pointed behind him where a bewildered and spellbound Mary stared up at Pitch with her jaw nearly dropping to the floor and her eyes wide with what appeared to be absolute fear and horror – Pitch knew _exactly _what was on her mind, it was the very same thought that was on every child's mind when they met him.

"Oh!" Jack said in shock and turned to his sister, now standing next to a slowly leaning in Pitch who drew ever closer to Mary with a completely stoic face and expression – the younger didn't even notice. "Mary, what are you doing here?" He was just about to reach out and hug her himself before he noticed that his boyfriend was nearly face-to-face with the paralyzed young child. Her eyes were blown with fear, he opened his mouth to beg for answer but Mary interrupted him.

The little girl shrieked in pure fear and terror, immediately jumping onto the bed and covering herself in Jack's sheets and giving off powerful trembles. Pitch smiled wide and approached the bed and stalked about it, bent over ever so slightly with his hands reaching out to the mound in the center of the bed. Jack was still looking on in half confusion and considering intervening before Pitch sung quietly. "_Hush, hush, hush...here comes the Bogeyman..."_ Then the young lover grinned wide and let out a small giggle from the sight playing out before him – he hadn't thought that maybe Pitch actually did look like the Bogeyman to younger kids...or that he actually had a playful side that worked off of that. He had to stop himself from pulling out his phone and taking pictures – it was just too cute...

And then from the sheets he heard a far too loud to be real snore come from underneath the blanket – both Pitch and Jack looked up at one another and smiled before looking back at the blanket, the gray skinned of the two moved in ever closer. "_Don't let him come close to you..." _Jack had to admit that Pitch's voice did carry with it a slight hint of ghostly terror...and that made this scene all the more awesome. He saw Mary through the sheet, clamping both her hands over her mouth...Pitch opened his arms wide and sang on, his voice a little bit deeper... "_he'll catch you if he can..."_

Upon seeing the black and gray figure ever still approaching Mary jumped out of the bed and directly into Jack's arms, muffling her screams on Jack's sweat shirt and receiving a large, comforting hug in response. "It's alright I'm here Mary, the Bogeyman won't get you. I promise." He joked and gently pet back her long auburn brown hair with a soft and caring hand.

Pitch smiled widely at the little girl who had dashed into Jack's arms – so _familiar_. Was that it? Was that the feeling of needing to protect that he was so worried about and felt blossom up inside of him? Because he could _feel _Jack's little sister? _'A strange feeling indeed...'_His mind rushed along, thinking of everything and examining her as she spoke miles a minute to Jack. _'She doesn't have the accent or the black hair but everything about her...'_ He felt like something went aflutter in his chest as he realized that maybe this was his chance to make things _right, _for the sake of September.

"Big brother it's the Bogeyman!" She jumped up and down fearfully, pushing on her older sibling with haste as if guiding him to the door and switching her gaze from him and to the dark figure that gazed back at her. "We've gotta run!"

"Mary..." Jack smiled and knelt down next to her. "Pitch I think it's time we stopped playing."

"Awwww...but I was having such _fun_ playing with little Mary..." Pitch looked at Mary with a smile before whispering again _"Boo._" With a loud whimper she shoved herself back into her brother's embrace and tries to get him to move again.

"He's scary Jack! Make him stop!" She cried, on the verge of tears. Jack smiled and held her again, giving Pitch a look of reprimand before the older lover nodded in surrender and walked back around the bed at a normal pace, trying his best to not seem as 'scary' as he was before.

"It's alright Mary, that's not the Bogeyman." Mary looked at him with a face of relief and Jack decided that maybe he could play a little more, after all it wasn't fair that Pitch got _all _the fun..."...I think." Her expression went from comforted to fearful again and she looked back to where Pitch was just a few moments ago only to find an empty space then seeing a flash of black before turning to look on her opposite side, where Pitch roared at her and she shrieked again in shock and fright.

"_**Pitch**.**"** _Jack spoke firmly, holding a now teary-eyed Mary and feeling ever so slightly guilty for her upset attitude – he knew both Pitch and himself had crossed the line with those last few scares...

Pitch could sense that he really struck a nerve in the fathering part of Jack's brain, now seeing for the first time that his beloved really had spent almost a decade raising Mary as a parent rather then a brother: most of the children he had counseled at his job that had older brother's usually would keep on scaring their younger siblings until an adult forced them to cease, but Jack stopped there and showed firmness. Pitch reluctantly agreed that he underestimated the level of fright he was causing Mary and bowed remorsefully. "My apologies...and my apologies to you too little Mary."

Mary wasn't convinced within the slightest, although her fear had died down ever so slightly she still cowered in the face of Pitch's overwhelming height and unique, alarming appearance. She never saw anyone with _gray _skin before in her entire short life until now. "Jack I'm scared..." She mumbled quietly, still trying to move Jack away as she saw Pitch as still yet a danger to her safety, all the stories and myths of the Bogeyman becoming frighteningly true to her.

"It's fine" Jack ran another hand through Mary's hair to calm her down, it worked semi-effectively and she stopped shaking if only a little bit.

"Is he really not the Bogeyman?" She asked him with still-watery eyes flashing in between the non-moving figure of Pitch and her brother's face.

"He's not most of the time" Jack said jokingly before chastising himself for lack of restraint, he knew should show a little if he was going to ask for Pitch to have some – even when the other man was older then him the very least he could do was set a standard of behavior for him to follow.

"Is he not the Bogeyman now?" She asked with her fear slowly stilling itself down and Jack smiled, he was sure she was braver then most but she was calming down much quicker then he expected. He considered that maybe that's what living what a real terror was like and the effect it had – the fictional ones just stopped being so chilling, even when they looked to be so real.

"I'm pretty sure he's not right now." He said comfortingly, planting a tiny kiss on Mary's forehead and ruffling her hair before carefully testing his little sister's bravery, releasing his hold on her and not holding her any more.

"I'm still scared of him..." She seemed to be telling the truth, she was still upset and shaking but she wasn't forcing herself into Jack's arms now and that was a good sign. From the edge of his peripheral vision he could see Pitch smiling, trying to seem friendlier then he originally let on.

"He's a normal person. His skin's just gray..." He tried to reassure her but she still now was not convinced and inside himself Jack felt moderately guilty – what if Pitch and her couldn't get along now that they had scared her so much? He hadn't planned on them meeting, that was indeed true, but he didn't want to set Mary up as seeing Pitch as her enemy or a fearful figure. He wanted them to get along...he gazed over to the looming figure with questioning eyes that asked for help. He received a nod in response.

"He looks weird..." Mary commented before looking at Pitch, who was now kneeling down as well before her, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.

He spoke softly and carefully chose his words, Jack thought he sounded like a voice you'd hear reading a children's book aloud. "If it helps you feel any better, my name is Pitch. I'm sorry for frightening you Mary." He bowed his head again before showing another grin and Mary looked at Jack with nervous eyes, the older sibling pointed to Pitch while looking at Mary and whispered a quick and reassuring 'go ahead.'

Mary left the sanctuary of her brother's proximity and entered Pitch's instead, looking over him curiously and deciding what to make of him. "Your skin." It seemed like she was walking on pins and needles still, trying not to offend Pitch or – in her mind at least – provoke the bogeyman. "...it's gray...if you're a normal person how come its all gray and creepy looking?"

A small chuckle left his mouth and he couldn't stop himself from showing a less forcefully characteristic smile and instead showing one much more honest and open. "It's because I took some very bad medicine is all." Nearby Jack could notice the difference, it seemed to be less about _charming_ people into liking him and more about feeling 'happy'...he liked this facial expression better.

"Mary." Jack didn't think he was needed but decided he needed to be involved just a little bit more to help Mary relax more around his boyfriend – for all he knew they may be spending more time together in the future... "Pitch is fine. You know I wouldn't bring anyone into this house that would hurt you..."

"He still looks weird...I don't like him..." That last half of the sentence Mary knew was entirely true, she knew in her heart of hearts that Jack wouldn't bring anyone in that he knew would possibly harm her. She trusted her big brother and it showed in her eyes – Jack felt relieved at the sight of more light in her eyes and allowed himself a little relaxation for that moment.

"Milady Mary," Despite it not being his name being called, Jack turned to look at Pitch curiously. "If you could listen to me for a moment." Mary's ears seemed to perk up and she appeared to be paying attention. Pitch opened his mouth and sang again, ever gently. _"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"_

_'Oh Pitch you remembered...' _Jack mentally cheered for his awkwardness in Pitch's house – glad that his useless rambling was actually doing something productive for them now.

Mary perked up happily and bafflingly quick, placing her hands behind her back and sang sweetly in her higher pitched voice. "Spongebob Squarepants..."

"See?" Pitch clapped his hands together in a short celebration of his success. "We both like the same things. We can get along just fine, I do believe."

"Oh really?" Her eyes playfully narrowed and the gray-skinned man took a moment to mentally chuckle, he could remember that same frolicsome look on Jack's face in the café before the caramel kiss that somewhat 'confirmed' their relationship. They were indeed brother and sister.

"Why yes, I'm sure." He confirmed, as if accepting the silent upcoming challenge to prove it – despite not knowing what the young Frost girl had in mind.

"Hmmmm..." She thought, crossing her arms with a pout on her lips as she thought of an acceptable challenge to give the Bogeyman like figure standing before her. "Then...what's your favorite episode of Spongebob?"

"Hmmm..." He jokingly mirrored Mary expression with another pout and noticed her ever so slight smile that signaled she was no longer truly afraid of him. He felt as if a ton of pressure had left him, not knowing the pressure was even there in the first place but recognizing it as the ever-powerful hold of September and its evils. "Can I whisper it to you?" He asked with his voice increasingly positive and delightfully happy, for once he felt as if maybe September never happened and he was _fine. _Everything in his life was _fine_. September never occurred and left him scarred and unable to say those three little words – he forced himself to focus on the young girl standing before him.

Mary took a good look at him, wondering if she should go near – she wasn't afraid of Pitch but that didn't mean she was completely trusting of strangers. She looked to Jack who gave her another reassuring smile before she turned back to the awaiting older man. "Okay.." She approached him and turned her head so that he could whisper to her.

Jack couldn't make out his voice or what he was saying, but he could see the pleased and delighted smile on Mary's face and that was enough for him. Mary immediately came back to Jack and kept her voice very small and quick. "I take it back I like him." Her face beamed with a smile and Jack shook his head, unable to stop being so mesmerized by how Pitch charmed both his female family members in mere moments.

"Oh, _now_ you like him." He jestingly rolled his eyes and got up from his knelt position, stretching just a little bit.

"Yup." A short concise answer from the young girl that didn't require additional explanation.

"Such a turncoat!" He mumbled, now approaching the bed and dropping himself on it exhaustively.

"Always."Mary ran back over to Pitch and gave him a caring hug that almost shocked the kneeling psychologist. "I'm sorry for being scared of you ."

"It's fine little one. Jack just simply can't understand the profound emotional connections of us Spongebob lovers." He said with a hint of up-stuck sarcasm in his voice before hugging Mary back and smiling. It felt like pounds and pounds of weight were finally shrugging their way off of his tired back and shoulders – like he was at last being freed from a heavy burden and allowed to at last cease carrying it all.

"Yeah. He's just mad because his favorite show isn't on T.V. Any more." Jack would have normally come up with something much better to say in response to Mary, but he was shocked she seemed to know the definition of 'profound'.

After a few brief moments Jack at last responded. "You know what? I'm sorry, it's quite clear that the Legend Lover is no longer needed amongst the Spongebob-ites. I'll go. I'm sorry." He laughed playfully before Pitch ruffled Mary's hair and at last discarded his coat to hang on the side of Jack's bed.

And the light hit his chest perfectly. At Pitch's house his lights weren't nearly as strong as the fluorescent blubs that were in this room and Jack could take note of the sinewy muscles on his chest and shortly after the sharpness of his own nails – now abruptly wondering how crazed he could drive Pitch without having to undress him after Mary ran off to keep on playing with her toys, either bored of her new Spongebob loving friend already or having an important imaginary playtime to get back to. Jack, knowing Mary, knew it was probably the later.

Pitch only bothered to speak his mind when Mary was out of earshot and Jack sat down opposite him at the foot of the bed. "But really Jack, now I understand a little better..." He kept his voice hushed so that the young child playing in the corner didn't hear them – it wasn't a subject that she needed to her right now.

Jack sighed, eyes focused on Mary's figure as she paraded a unicorn doll around in the air, moving it like it was flying. Her imagination always made Jack smile happily but the current topic made everything seem too dark and upsetting to actually enjoy. He could only faintly hear Pitch in the background and upon running the words again through his head he responded without really thinking. He understood Jack's life a little better now that he had visited the home and got the full 'Frost' experience, huge thanks to his father. "Don't worry about it."

An annoyed clicking of the older man's teeth resounded through the room and Mary looked over curiously for a half second, wondering what the two other occupants were speaking about. Pitch just smiled to her comfortingly and she decided that it must not have been anything of any real importance. "That's not going to stop me from worrying about it." He kept his voice lower in order to keep from gaining the younger Frost sibling's attention once again.

"Then just keep higher authorities out of it..." Jack said, interlocking and unlocking his fingers as he thought about Mary's future, Mary's safety...and how he was practically making it suicide bomb on itself with his insistence to keep police out of their lives. _'Stupid...' _he thought, insulting himself once again and taking a breath to hold his emotions down.

"Jack, when are you turning 18 again?" The question was emergent and shocking, disturbing the previously calm pool of the room as Jack followed his train of thought and moved further towards the center of the bed, now lying next to Pitch who had already made himself rather comfortable as if he was in his own house.

"December 21." He told him again and ran his hands through his hair, not wanting to think so hard about the distance between then and now.

"Three months or so..." Pitch thought aloud, rubbing his own hands together in order to keep his hands busy and looking up at Jack's blank white ceiling like it had an enthralling and entertaining story to tell him.

"I know..." Jack absent-mindedly responded, licking his lips with his throat dying either out of sheer fear or just the terrifying realization that he would be in _this _house, with a man at least twice his weight and 1.5x his height, who _wanted_ to kill him and had little in the way to stop him. He know that his father's senses of what was right and wrong and any possible sense of emotional connection were probably dulled and severed from years and years of consistent, repetitive alcohol abuse.

"Can you handle 90 more days of him?" He knew that what he just said was possibly the gravest thing to say and the worst possible way to say it but he also knew that just pretending like everything was okay would not help Jack or his current state of living. He needed to actually be honest about this and talk about things how they were, not how he wanted them to be. At most, he was upset about the lack of hope for Jack with his father in this house. He wished he could hope a little more for Jack but in a fight, the comparison between William and Jack's size and strength...William would win hands down even if Jack did fight back.

Jack took Pitch's lack of hope for him rather well, as if already knowing what he was thinking – the real truth of the matter being that this had been his life since the day he turned 8. "I think 'survive' would be the better word for what I might need to hope for." He crossed his legs and stretched his upper body, letting out a small sigh as he spoke. Pitch had to hold himself back to stop himself from screaming to his boyfriend and ask him what he was so _O.K. _With that.

"True..." All he could say, too appalled and depressed to say more.

Jack thought about the question though, wondering whether or not he was really expected to answer that...he decided that it would be the best course of option. "And...no. I don't think I can now." That was the truth. He didn't think he could take ninety entire days in the same house as William...judging from how fast he had to leave downstairs, making up such a completely bogus excuse to leave he'd say he could barely stand_ nine minutes _with him.

Pitch nodded slowly in agreement, beginning to absorb the gravity of this situation and seeing it all clearly now: Jack's calling of the police must have made the entire thing much worse then what it was – he wasn't _used _to the murderous stares that his father was giving off now unlike how he said he was before. This level of animosity coming from his father was something new and fresh, an entirely new concept from what he was like before. "Me either, with all due respect to you. When we walked in he looked like he was quite literally on the verge of slaughtering your mother – no exaggeration."

"Not much I can do about it." Jack uncrossed his legs and tried not to let his real fear show, tried to keep up a certain self-confident level of bravado. But not because Pitch and Mary were here, watching him but because he needed to – he needed to convince himself that he wasn't afraid or scared, otherwise he wouldn't be able to take it. He needed to lie to himself and make it all much less then it actually was. "It's already bad that I left her alone when I met you...and today and yesterday."

Pitch looks over at Jack, surprised by his sudden change of attitude from scared to confident – obviously over compensating with blustering himself up, it wasn't an uncommon tactic but he didn't except Jack to switch to it so quickly. While the teen may not have been used to this level of violence or abhorrence in the air, he was used to finding ways to deal with it. It was slightly depressing...why couldn't he just depend on him a little more. He wondered if he could...just _ever so slightly _push Jack further towards him and away from this home that seemed to not care about him at all. "Couldn't you bring her with you to my house? I know your parents aren't the most attentive so you could've just lied..."

Jack looked at him as if he turned into a dragon and tried to unwind himself and his increasing amount of shock before speaking. "You...would've been okay with that?" Why would Pitch actually _want_ to take care of him and Mary?

"Of course!" He said as if Jack was forcing him to say what was already obvious, the slightest hint of anger mixed with surprise and concern. Did Jack really not know that Pitch was more then willing to let Mary spend time with them? "She's practically already your daughter to begin with-"

Jack tries to think for a moment, absorbing that quietly and thinking about what just occurred in front of him...he knew how to handle kids and seemed a little bit happier while he was comforting Mary, he'd never seen him that playful around anyone else and he was basically saying that Mary was his daughter? Was his boyfriend thinking that they could some sort of weird pseudo-family ? "Pitch...are you actually-"

He was cut off by the yelling of a recognizable voice, calling out to them from the bottom of the steps. _"__Dinner's almost ready boys!"_ Katherine's voice quiets the conversation of a brief moment of time before Jack sees Pitch's face twist in deep annoyance and abhorrence of her choice of words.

"I'm 23." He let out an annoyed click of his tongue and sat up very slightly, stretching his fingers and bridging them. "I'm pretty sure 'boy' is kind of an insult at my age."

Jack grinned happily and pushed himself into his lover's side with a small impish sneer. "Oh really? You didn't seem to mind over the pho-"

A snort in response before Pitch pulled Jack ever closer, one arm now resting on the young man's opposite shoulder, his words and tone betraying his current moments and way of embracing his younger boyfriend. "Don't even."

Jack let out a joking chuckle before deciding to press on the previous issue. "I mean..." He bit his tongue for a minute, trying to think of multiple reasons and logical responses that wouldn't result in him inadvertently insulting him. "Why would you be okay about bringing Mary over?" It was the best one he was capable of thinking of in such short notice.

Pitch's answer was so quick that Jack didn't believe he wasn't telling the truth; it was like his heart was spilling from his mouth."I don't like the thought of a child suffering alone in this house..." The young Frost closed his eyes slowly, thinking of what Pitch meant by that before shaking his head at himself and shunning his actions of leaving Mary alone in this house with William before just handing her over to Katherine on a silver platter just so he could spend time with Pitch – he might as well been the one abusing her.

He let out a mournful sigh before running a single hand through his hair and leaning out against the headboard of his bed, making a soft _'thunk' _on contact. "Sorry...it was wrong of me to leave her with Katherine so I could spend time with you."

The golden eyed gaze he was given made Jack feel as if he should try to apologize for that apology. The way Pitch's eyes looked so downcast and depressed when he looked over, like he was personally upset or angry made the white-haired teen feel as if he was doing something wrong. "Don't be. I wouldn't be half as dedicated to her if I was in the same position..." The truth of the matter was that he was silently angry at _himself, _for making Jack think he had something to make amends for. He swallowed as quietly as he could, holding down bile without realizing as he continued to speak, remembering times when he would see a popular white-haired teen boy walking a little brown haired girl to school.

He continued, ruffling his nose to stop himself from sniffling – that'd be far too much of a give-away and the very last thing he wanted to do was break down in front of his younger boyfriend and his little sister, even if she was almost exactly like – _**NO**__. _"You think there are people who don't notice how you bend over backwards for her? You think me seeing you in the Cafe was the first time I ever saw you?" He questioned Jack while looking away from him, not wanting for the younger man to see his eyes as he knew he was on the verge of tears – the emotions just seeing Jack could pull out from him while he sat next to him, touching him as he thought about September would destroy him under any other circumstances. "Be a bit more reasonable. This is a small town. I've run into you multiple times, been right next to you sometimes even – we just never 'met' until Claussen and I never even knew you were being abused." Pitch thanked his voice for not cracking or breaking to reveal how depressed he really was from this...

"So you saw me taking her from school-" Jack's pushing on the issue, caused only by his own shock that Pitch had actually _seen _him before, wasn't doing Pitch any favors...it was becoming harder to hold back the torrents of emotion that were flowing inside of him. Jack was too much like him...it hurt too much to hear him speak these things.

"I saw many things Jack." He made sure to put a sharp emphasis on '_many'_ before going on. "Most if not it all became clear after I got to talk to you... and finding out more about the home you live in now is actually near terrifying." Matter-of-factly voice and a strange humor mixed with a wave of ironic displeasure made him chuckle and sigh in pause between sentences."I know you talked about it back in Claussen but to really _be here..._You keep it together so well...the pure atmosphere alone would've killed me back when I was your age." Pitch brushes his hand through his hair, struggling to keep it together and held inside – September, blood splatters, candy _**NO.**_ "It's incredible." He focused on talking and did all he could to swallow those thoughts back down, put them back into the emotionally dark abyss they crawled out of. "...You just looked like a young kid taking care of his little sister."

He could hear the faint sounds of sniffling and whimpers as a pre-warning to what was coming next – Jack's arms wrapping around him while he pressed the rest of his body up against Pitch's back, tears staining the soft shirt as the younger boy cried.

Pitch inhaled with unfocused anger, seeing himself as the main cause of Jack's current outburst of emotion – not seeing it as anything that could possibly be positive or happy._ 'You keep on fucking up.'_ He chastised himself – it'd probably be best to just rip himself out from the younger man's life now before he wrecked it any more then he already did. "What is it? What did I-"

Jack's embrace tightened almost painfully so before tear kissed lips pressed themselves to his cheeks and the tickle of wet eyelashes made him smile a very difficult to see smile. A quick whisper, like a passing breeze moved past his ear before more kisses followed. "I never thought anyone noticed or cared is all..."

"Jack..." Pitch felt relived that for once he seemed to be caused Jack _happiness _rather then merely destroying the young lover's feelings. He turned his body around and gently pecked him on the forehead, trying to show as much affection as he could with the eight year old child in the room. "You really have been carrying this all alone..." He wasn't sure whether he was saying it in realization of Jack's plight or actually talking to his significant other but it didn't matter to either of them.

Jack was smiling. "Out of everyone to notice..."

Pitch playfully rolled his eyes, pleased to see that familiar sense of joy afflicting his voice. "Oh _please _you say that like I'm not observant..."

"I just find it strange..." Jack mumbled quietly, now shifting his body so he could hand Pitch further – neither of them paying attention to the young auburn haired Frost girl on the other side of the room giggling about the scene playing out before her. "I wasn't...I mean I didn't notice you before..."

"Really?" He chuckled and raised a single hand, burying it in the airy locks of snow white hair. "Gray skin not enough of a signal to draw me out of the crowd?" A slight eyebrow raise before another joking smile.

"No that's not what I mean-"

_Another loud and identifiable yell pulled them apart. "Dinner's ready!" _

The high-school attending lover considered finished that statement and letting his heart be known again but at the same time...he didn't want to make Katherine and William wait...and he was afraid of what would happen if he bared himself to Pitch again. They were on enough of a tight rope to begin with. "Time to go..." Jack pushes away, too quickly and hastily for a 'normal' departure from an embracing – it seemed more like a hasty and desperate escape to Pitch – and wipes his eyes clear before heading downstairs wordlessly. Pitch gets up and walks behind him in a confused stupor – wasn't Jack just happy and pleased moments ago? He tries to move towards the steps but he feels a tug on his right hand and looks down to see a very serious looking Mary Frost.

"If I find out you made my brother sad, I will be hiding under your bed Mister. Bogeyman!" She points up at him accusingly with a fire in her eyes that brings a well of bright emotions through Pitch.

"Understood." Pitch smiles and bows respectfully before his eyes widen in realization and he kneels to the young girl, face marred with concern. Mary _knew _about their relation status - she had just witnessed _everything_. What if she went off blabbing about this to her friends at school, or her parents? Nothing good. Pitch was certain. "Mary, you must not tell your parents of anything me and Jack-"

"Not a word. These lips are sealed." She makes a zipper-like movement with her hand over her mouth before showing Pitch a toothy and confident grin, another thing she obviously inherited from her older brother.

A gray hand rests itself on top of her hand thankfully before carefully messing up her hair. "Thank you milady Mary – your mother and father would be less then agreeable to our...relationship." His eyes narrow beyond his ability to control as he looks back towards the door.

"What? What's a ree-late-shun-ship? I didn't see nothin'." Mary beams knowingly and Pitch nods, realizing that Mary is much more observant and quick on the take then what she must give on; it's admirable and it reminds him once again of September – he feels a splitting, alarming headache about to approach and he gets up, taking Mary's little hand as they both head downstairs to dinner. 'Don't think about it...what happened two years ago is in the past.' He mumbles over and over to himself as he and Mary leave Jack's room...

And the moment he enters the living room he wishes that he could immediately grab onto back Jack and Mary run right back upstairs – possibly call the police if need be and from the look that William was giving him from the dining room if he didn't do something soon, need would _certainly_ be.

* * *

_Song is (Hush, hush, hush) Here Comes the Boogeyman by Henry Hall and His Orchestra._


	18. Modern Family

_"Understood." Pitch smiles and bows respectfully before his eyes widen in realization and he kneels to the young girl, face marred with concern. Mary knew about their relation status - she had just witnessed everything. What if she went off blabbing about this to her friends at school, or her parents? Nothing good. Pitch was certain. "Mary, you must not tell your parents of anything me and Jack-"_

"_Not a word. These lips are sealed." She makes a zipper-like movement with her hand over her mouth before showing Pitch a toothy and confident grin, another thing she obviously inherited from her older brother. _

_A gray hand rests itself on top of her hand thankfully before carefully messing up her hair. "Thank you milady Mary – your mother and father would be less then agreeable to our...relationship." His eyes narrow beyond his ability to control as he looks back towards the door._

"_What? What's a ree-late-shun-ship? I didn't see nothin'." Mary beams knowingly and Pitch nods, realizing that Mary is much more observant and quick on the take then what she must give on; it's admirable and it reminds him once again of September – he feels a splitting, alarming headache about to approach and he gets up, taking Mary's little hand as they both head downstairs to dinner. 'Don't think about it...what happened two years ago is in the past.' He mumbles over and over to himself as he and Mary leave Jack's room..._

_And the moment he enters the living room he wishes that he could immediately grab onto back Jack and Mary run right back upstairs – possibly call the police if need be and from the look that William was giving him from the dining room if he didn't do something soon, need would certainly be. _

–

Pitch was much more then willing to admit that William's eyes before preached and screamed _'bloody murder' _from his mere stare in their general direction, as if he hated their very souls on sight and planned on doing unspeakable things to him and his own son – and Pitch thought that as someone who actually _had _a lot of life problems that it was okay if William was turning his rage against him. He had gray-skin, he literally came out of nowhere and might as well have just ignored the brown haired father as he came into the house and made himself at home in his son's bedroom...

Even turning his rage against Jack would be heavily expected. It would make moderate sense that William would see his son's action of calling the police as an act of subversiveness and strike out at him physically – even after coming back to the house. It wasn't uncommon for a parent to feel as if their own kin was betraying them in such a way – even if it was something meant for the benefit of the family.

The last thing he expected was for him to turn the entire situation on its head and take it out on almost too friendly, happy, non-abusive seeming _Katherine_. Even if her welcoming and warm personality at first seemed almost a little too polite for a married woman, he didn't foresee William actually _hitting _her even with Jack's previous story that pointed to William actually being capable of doing the contrary.

At least, that's what he believed happened with the fresh bruise staining Katherine's previously un-flawed face, standing out like a sore thumb against her usually light cream colored skin and with the half angry and half satisfied smirk now resting ever peacefully on the Frost father's lips he couldn't quite find any other explanation.

If that was not enough he took half a second to look to his side and find an extremely ire-filled Jack Frost, glaring at his father who simply stayed seated in his navy blue recliner and looked back – his eyes dancing with glee at the new injury he just caused while his son's normally peaceful or mischievous untouched-ice blue irises seethed with hatred. Pitch realized, there was no fright or mention of fear staining him anymore, just pure dislike and contempt for the ever delighted, surprisingly sober man.

Behind him he felt movement and looked down to see Mary, whimpering and grabbing onto his leg as she stood behind him with her little fingers gripping tightly into the material of his pants and worrying him greatly. Every movement and gesture of her body giving off two emotions, fear and anxiousness. But Pitch wasn't sure whether she was terrified of her father...

Or of what might happen next.

Pitch couldn't blame her – the tension of the room was strung so high that the slightest movement could result in a fight that he didn't doubt would turn physically harmful...if not deadly given William's alcohol usage and Jack's already emotionally distressed personality.

For the first time, as a psychologist who was expected to try and guess what people were feeling and resolve their issues he really had no idea what he was supposed to be doing now. He felt out of place and awkward, not like someone who was actually in another person's house about to eat another person's food but rather more like he shouldn't be here, witnessing this and absorbing it all.

He could see why Jack was having trouble choosing between protecting Mary or running to him – even if this place wasn't usually this bad it would still be an absolute hellhole and after a moment of gazing at the faces of the family surrounding him it began to actually infuriatehim to his core. _His _boyfriend, who deserved the best life could give him lived in a place like this, dealt with a family like this, day after day after day. He never told _anyone _except for Pitch about this before. Jack didn't – intentionally—run to a mental help specialist, he didn't ask to be taken away or given to another family, he didn't even call the police for _his own _protection – that had been for his abusive, blaming, victimizing mother who _continued _to abuse him after.

He wasn't able to stop himself when he let out a groan of disgust and leered as he gazed again at William who seemed to almost grow even happier, more jubilant upon seeing the sneer of repulsion that marred Pitch's face. As if daring him to do something about it, daring him to make a move and just _try _to stop him.

At the moment when the black haired man felt he was finally about to break and launch himself at William in ire, Katherine spoke aloud in an ash-gray monotone voice that was devoid of even the slightest hint or speck of colored emotion. "The food is getting cold."

It was like she flipped a switch in Jack and Mary, who let down their guard and walked into the living room in an almost inhuman fashion – their steps seemed so lifeless, heavy and regretful. So _un-_childlike. Lacking the type of happiness, mirth and adolescent glee that Pitch would expect the child to feel and be filled with at Mary's age or at least show a faint flash of at Jack's.

His younger lover turned to him before sitting down at the sofa, gesturing to the seat next to him with a cock of his head. _'You coming?'. _

It was atrociously foul, all of it. It brought the acrid taste of stomach acid back to his mouth and he had to withstand the wild urge to retch and heave dry vomit, tumble into the bathroom and empty himself whatever scraps of food his stomach could refuse. He held it down calmly and strode into the living room, every step reminding himself not to kick William as he passed by – nearly failing as he stood for a half-second longer then he should have in front of his chair.

He ignored the look of challenge that the abusive father gave and continued to walk, seeing that starting a fight – no matter how justifiable and _beautifully _righteous it would feel to shove his foot in William's ass – would make him no better then the abuser, making a horrible sight and (arguably) unrequested drama and worry for the children and the wife of the family.

This however, did not mean Pitch would _back down _from such a challenge which he made sure was shown as he grabbed his plate, which was originally positioned so that he'd be sitting opposite the room from William and moved in between Katherine and Jack, making Mary the furthest from the often aggravated man.

_'William Frost...I believe this challenge will be one you lose. You can count on it.' _ He thought with a grin before glancing with an almost-seductive gaze at the now blushing Katherine, laying it on thick with a charming smile that spoke of nothing but sweet care and appreciation, now feeling more sorry for her upon realizing – _'I should've realized this when Jack first told me **damn it**' –_ that although Katherine had a choice to be here, a choice to leave this place and run away she was obviously terrified of what William could possibly do to her if she ever did. "I don't suppose we pray before eating."

"Ummm...no William isn't...um- religious." Her tone spoke volumes, if the fact that she specifically said 'William isn't religious' and not '_We _aren't religious' wasn't enough to go on. She plausibly _was _of some type of spiritual denomination of belief but William wasn't letting her follow it.

These words changed everything for him – Katherine wasn't likely _abusive _so much as she was probably crying for help from her son, who was consistently showing that he was stronger then her by taking beatings for her and standing up both for her and against her. He knew Jack couldn't keep living in the same house as his father, he wasn't emotionally or mentally strong enough yet even though he was stronger then Katherine...but he hadn't considered that maybe Jack's _mother_ wasn't strong enough to live in the same house as his father – he thought the two would be more of an abusing _couple _rather then what they actually seemed to be.

He silently considered that maybe that was why she had yelled at her son over the phone. Maybe she was more enraged with _herself _for being unable to do anything against William, including stay away for an extended period of time, and was just trying to vent with the easy cop out of using her son who she believed could take the abuse as a type of bucket for her emotions.

She more then likely hadn't considered that Jack was laggardly beginning to overflow.

He pitied her. Especially as William's eyes hardened behind her, likely planning further physical and emotional abuse of his spouse and children who he know believed were almost _waiting _for further punishment like a criminal getting ready for a losing trial – reluctant and unwilling but having no choice in the matter and no hope to change things.

A hand none to gently shoved its way past his arm, hitting him just hard enough to get his attention. He looked up quickly to see Jack motioning to his plate while he disguised his attention-getting shrug as a reach for the remote. The older gray-skinned man didn't need further explanation _'Eat and stop looking around' _was an obvious enough choice of what to do – he just wish that he hadn't made that promise to Jack to keep it all secret and closed in, brushed under the rug.

He had seen what places like this could do to a person, how they affected them mentally and how emotionally scared and ruined they were afterward – it was never pretty picking the pieces from abusive parents. PTSD, nightmares and...

He quickly shoved a fork of chicken pieces into his mouth and tried to focus – Mary had long since grabbed the television remote away from her older brother and changed the channel to Spongebob.

"Look look, !" She giggled with excitement as she sat back down at the table and grabbed a forkful of her own food as a familiar figure appeared – a poorly drawn imitation of Spongebob, Doodlebob was yapping gibberish that he couldn't understand...this was the very same episode he told Mary that he liked...and he really did enjoy this episode.

Just _not right now_. Not with William's soulless seeming pupils burrowing a burning hole into the side of his skull as if he was digging a tunnel with his stare alone. Pitch felt half obligated to look back while the other half of him felt obligated to find a very nice, painfully drawn-out way to kill the man without feeling any guilt about it after the fact. Something worth the jail-time and potential death sentence. Jack nudged him once more and whispered very quietly. _'General rule of thumb, Mary gets the remote because she's more T.V. savvy then the rest of us.'_

_'Got it.'_ He whispered hastily before continuing to finish his food and keeping himself alert to any movement coming from William's side of the room – he didn't doubt that something as innocent and careful as a nudge could set him off.

"So, Pitchiner was it?" The voice was the first time he ever heard William speak...and he realized faintly that he was talking to him.

Every cell in his body screamed for him to tell William to _fuck off_ and go die in the deepest, darkest, most soul sucking and frightfully inescapable hole mankind and mother nature could possibly ever join forces to dig. But he reeled himself back in and decided that it'd be best if he responded peacefully...and mastermind a plan to kill him _after _he finished eating. Much easier to think of tortuously slow mutilation and the steps on rebuilding a bronze bull on a full stomach. "Indeed. Nice to meet you." He had to force the following out of the very bottom of his throat as he was subconsciously swallowing down the words and refusing to speak them – especially to this man. "My apologies for not saying hi to you earlier." _'Apologies my ass you fucking piece of loser scum' _he couldn't resist the wild want to say that but he decided it'd be best to manifest it into a wide, self-satisfied grin – just what he did.

He swore he could feel the entire opposite side of the room shift onto its side from the pure force of William's anger...and Pitch just kept on smiling. He refused to stop and be distressed and maddened because of the Frost father's lack of decency and self-control...and the other side of the room just kept on getting worse and worse...

He completed then and there that just being _happy _around William could tick him off...and oh _god _he made a mistake letting his rage show. Pitch refocused his attention on being as sweet and charming and heart-warming as he possibly ever could in his life.

"The food is delicious Katherine!" He glanced to her and smiled with a closed mouth. It wasn't a lie that Katherine was a wonderful chef – he was just being slightly over dramatic about it...not enough to raise Katherine's suspicion luckily enough. "I'm inclined to come and visit you more often just for your cooking."

The beaming rose colored blush on the older woman's face made her almost glow with embarrassment and delight – _'She must not get many compliments living in this house.' - _before she responded with a light smile. "Thank you Pitch, I'm so glad you enjoy it." She absorbed the praise like a hungering plant absorbed water – it was like he had turned on a light in her and satisfied her on an emotional level. Pitch couldn't decide whether the fact that a mere simple compliment about her cooking could put her on the moon was just plain depressing or a horror story within itself.

"_So_ Pitch -" William's voice spoke volumes of aggravation and haste – he realized now that Pitch was just naturally more charming and sweet then him, even through what could've been his mind sickened with constant inebriation he could see that. "Where are you from?"

_'No reason to lie, I'm winning this.' _He thought confidently and glanced over at William who appeared more threatening and terrifying in stature as he leaned a few sparse but important inches closer, leaning over in his chair with interest. _'Relax.'_ He showed William a wide fox's grin. "Germany, born and raised."

"Oh..." William leaned back into his chair with his hands crossed and a non-friendly look on his face, as if he found something important, powerful and useful to attack and assault him with. "And wait – how old are you again?"

"Twenty-three." He answered quickly without lying or thinking about whether or not he _should_ lie to the now pleased gentleman leaning back in his chair, obviously brainstorming some kind of heinous plot. He didn't look unlike a super-villian planning some form of unspeakable and dastardly evil...

Before he could stop it the thought of William having some type of evil mustache to twirl around his fingers while he cackled manically, standing near two ugly looking henchman that were busy tying a helpless Jack to train tracks and – he let out a loud laugh that was almost unbecoming of him before he could stop it from making its way out.

Luckily Jack had chuckled too after a half second..he was appreciative he hadn't been the only person to laugh, it absolved him from the need to provide any revealing explanation. He made sure to make a mental note to thank his young, deserving boyfriend later.

Another forkful and only a couple more to go, he could _feel _William's murderous ire almost take on a physical form, almost like that of a devil or a demon of some sort – and it was easy for Pitch and Jack, to see why.

Jack was laughing with him. Katherine was smiling. Mary seemed to actually trust him more then William – no surprise there. And most importantly, Pitch had done that – it wasn't thanks to anyone but him that they were all grinning and feeling happiness. Pitch _demanded _their attention with his level of personal magnetism, his tenderhearted voice and care for them even with his skin condition. The rest of the Frost family ceased to pay much attention to the 'father''s displeasure or anger...

William felt like he was slipping away from his place, like this place would soon no longer belong to him and he couldn't _control _them with fear and threats like he was so used to doing – and to Pitch that was a damn good thing.

"So how long have you been here?" William's fingers bridged and he used them as a pillow for his chin as he tried to star Pitch down, get him to give in and concede.

Both barely noticed Jack watching and listening, wide eyed and smiling. He never thought Pitch would actually try to stand up to his father face to face like this, much less succeed so perfectly well and answer every question. Not only that but to _smile _while doing it – he never thought that his usually anti-humanity, sarcasm-loving boyfriend was capable of pulling off the _'kill em with kindness' _strategy with such gut-busting skill.

And he was really _learning _things about Pitch! He never would've guessed he was an immigrant from _Germany_, unless that was a lie which he strongly doubted, his English was so perfect and without any heavy accent or tone to speak of – with the exception of a faint note of English twang to his words. Jack had to look away and make sure he wasn't drooling or staring before shoveling more food into his mouth to shut himself up and stop from looking too interested.

"I've only been here for the past five years or so, mainly came here to pursue my passion with a close friend of mine." He already knew what the overly argumentative 'father''s next question would be and he was almost _shining _with pleasure from the answer he could give.

"So what exactly _is _this...passion that drove you to America, Pitchiner," Pitch almost opened his mouth to answer before William kept going, a wide grin now etched on his face. "Aside from my son I mean."

Both he and Jack nearly jumped from their seats, hearts pounding in disbelief from what they both just heard leave the other man's mouth – neither of them thinking that Will even knew about their relationship, how could he? Who could have possibly tipped him off...or was it a guest? A test? A trick to try and get Pitch to confess something that he didn't have to?...

The older man calmly and speedily explained. "No, thank you. I'm a psychologist." Pitch didn't think that he could ever found out, not even if he had followed them or had someone else do it there was no possible way that the alcoholic was attentive enough, smart enough or cunning enough to ever possibly catch them both in the act...but that was the main question. Had he and Jack been stealthy enough in guarding their relationship? Were they too open and too far out in the public eye?...

He briefly recalled the make out session in the cafe and felt the need to face-palm himself in self-punishment – _far _too open considering that would be breaking at least two different laws even while Jack was willing. But William couldn't possibly have seen them there?...Right? It was an impossibility...or so Pitch liked to hope.

"My apologies." An obvious lie – he didn't give a single flying _fuck_ about what he just said but Pitch silently prayed that he didn't know that it was the honest truth. "I've obviously made you uncomfortable..." He intentionally _cooed _to Pitch as if sarcastically degrading him, insulting him and inwardly laughing over his victory.

In an unexpected huff of breath Katherine suddenly got up in the middle of both of them – all eyes averted to her and for a brief moment Pitch hoped that _maybe _she had reached her breaking point with her husband, that she might actually put her foot down and end this madness or take her children and _leave. _But instead she picked up her own plate and headed into the kitchen to discard it.

_'So much for that.' _A heavy mental sigh before Pitch moved his attention back to the abusive husband that was now smiling from ear-to-ear, whether or not he was actually catching onto the lovers' secret relationship remaining to be seen. "My own fault, really. I often work with young children, help them get over their fears." The complete truth – he _specialized _in helping kids get over serious fears and decoding the messages hidden inside their nightmares and dreams. "It just..._disgusts_ me that someone would put me in the position of harming the very people I help." Also completely true. He remembered a time when a less then appreciative mother had called him a pedophile and a disgusting human being based purely on the fact that he was in a room alone with her child for fifteen minutes talking about her son's fear of large crowds - he made sure the woman received a hefty bill and never stepped foot near his office again.

"I'm sure...in any case Doctor-" Pitch wasn't sure whether or not he should take offense to that, sure he was using the title but every word that left William's lips sounded like an affront to his own humanity...and a plea to launch a fist directly to his jaw. "How did you and Jack meet?"

"Cafe." True. "I was studying." And there was the first falsehood he told during this entire conversation and damn did it feel _good. _"So was he, we found out we were studying for the exact same thing and decided we'd team up for it."

"So your going for your degree but you're already a psychologist..." William looked at him in a knowing smile, thinking he trapped him in a lie...

"I'm going back for a Master's soon." A smooth and quick reparation that made the smile fade from William's lips and re-emerge on his own quicker then he thought was possible.

"Well then, you should be set Jack." He glanced over to the young male Frost and Pitch could only mentally swear at him in hatred.

_'This is a fight between __**us **__leave my Jack out of it!' _He failed to recognize that he thought 'my' and instead got up with his finished plate, stepped smoothly over William's outstretched legs that had almost tripped him up and made him fall. He could sense the feeling of spite irradiating from behind and couldn't stop the chuckle that left him...

His win. 1-0.

–

Pitch steps back into the living room with a victorious aura about him, every part of him practically screaming _'hate me then eat me' _to the infuriated man sitting down in the recliner. The passing sight of his short nails digging into the wooden arm rests and crawling their way up in hate – he certainly had a flair for the dramatic; _'He still can't stand shoulder to shoulder to me.'_ Pitch grinned as he once again dodged William's feet and took his place back next to Jack, giving him a pleased gaze as the young teen finished the rest of his dinner. A nimble glance round the room confirmed that both Katherine and Mary had cleared out – he wasn't even sure when the young daughter finished her dinner. He was slightly worried that maybe she had left from fear since he was no longer in the living room despite his leaving being only a short few minutes at worst.

Pitch signed and resigned himself to watching Jack with attentive golden eyes that traced ever movement. He knew that some people who were not like him, not as enchanted by their partners as he was to his, would frown upon it but he enjoyed watching Jack eat – especially the intricate movements of his beautiful, untouched pink lips that he could just barely mentally record for later usage. The thought of his young lover's amateur, virgin mouth embarrassingly, uneasily wrapping around some other type of meat was enthralling and captivating...

He made sure to break eye contact with the boy sooner rather then later – he'd already attracted too much attention from William before hand, he didn't need any more...but then again with the smoking holes that his gaze was putting in the back of his head he was certain that he couldn't quite get much more of his attention.

Instead he turned to face the father with a charming beam and caring eyes. "Well then William, if you have any more questions now – I believe – would be the correct and perfect time to ask them." He was bordering on too far, too outright rude but at this point in their little challenge it was almost like a thrill or a burst of adrenaline to insult him, see how far he could push, annoy and patronize.

He swore that he could see William reeling himself back in, trying to get a solid hold of himself before he asked anything. Pitch mentally laughed at him, as loud and as hard as he possibly ever could without letting it slip out of his lips._ 'He doesn't know when to quit.'_

"So, Pitch...I was wondering what exactly is your specialization in psychology?" He was trying to sound as sophisticated as he could ever be but Pitch could tell that he was _far _out of his depth when it came to any specific branch of psychological science.

He'd entertain him. "I work in Clinical Psychology, its the most...emotional perhaps of the numerous different branches." The extended explanation was not something that he _had _to say so much as it just made him feel so much more intelligent then the abusive drunk sitting across the room from him. It was empowering to wave his status and logical intelligence over the other man's head.

Almost too quick to react, William stormed up and out of his chair walking towards Pitch at a stormy pace. Jack opened his mouth to warn Pitch but his boyfriend has already gotten up, a charming smile still plastered on his face as the other approached at an impersonal and brutal speed until at last they were face to face.

Jack could clearly see the difference between the two of them like this. Pitch clearly didn't weigh as much as William did – beer clearly not helping his physique – and he was taller by at least six or seven inches, but William was surprisingly more _built_ then fat and in the end probably had more muscle for hurting as opposed to Pitch's lean, sinewy body.

Only after did he notice the tension becoming too much for him to quell if it went on any further, not that he was too successful in calming William down when they didn't have male guests that completely outdid him in every way. The teen got up with both his own and Mary's plate in hand and stepped in-between the two, turning to Pitch with a deceptive smile that didn't trick either of the two older men into believing he had no alternate motive. "Pitch. I think I'm gonna go finish up this week's work...you coming?" Jack turned and made his way to the kitchen, being sure to dump his plates.

He didn't catch it when Pitch walked right past William, both of them parting with these words to one another.

_'Drunk.'_

_'Faggot.' _

–

When Pitch and Jack met by the door of his room and William stormed out of the house, slamming the door all too loudly behind him to signal his leaving – as if it was supposed to be some sort of depressing moment for anyone inside the house. Unbeknownst to the raging alcoholic the four remaining people inside were happy as all hell to have him finally gone from the house again.

"Nice conversation Pitch." Jack nudged him more then little gently and headed up the stairs in front of him with an air of anger and well-focused ire dripping off of his being.

Pitch thought for a moment if he did something wrong downstairs that would have angered Jack – but he couldn't think of anything even as he reached the final step on into his room. Sure, he had arguably initiated a non-physical fight with William but it thankfully stopped before it had gotten any worse. Was it the fact that he had been a little _too _sweet to Jack's mother that was angering him? He didn't seem to have a problem before...

"If you have a death wish for the both of us," Jack crossed his arms and leaned against the headboard of the bed in a position that screamed of condescension. "I would have really appreciated it if you ran it through with me first." The haze he threw Pitch's way had the older man realizing now that it wasn't something other then the fight that had him angry – he ticked off _William, _who was already abusive and Jack had to live with him. Jack even _brought _him here – his father would blame him for Pitch's appearance and take it out on him and perhaps even Mary.

_'Oh God...'_ Pitch grabbed the side of his head in panic and ran his fingers through his head as he saw the err of his ways. He might as well have put a target on Jack and his little sister's back and told William to stab, slice and brutalize away. _'Again...again I **fucking **ruined everything.' _Of course he would, he figured. He _always _ruined things in September and now he might as well be escorting another child to their death because _'why the fuck not!?'_

The front part of his skull felt as if it was on fire, panic over taking him and making the room feel wobbly and unstable as he tried to think his way through it all. "Mother of Christ..." He swore under his breath and grabbed the foot of Jack's bed, trying to steady himself to not fall over as his vision swam and bile rose again.

"Pitch!" Jack quickly moved to his side and ran a soft, sweet hand through his black locks that calmed him over the next few minutes – sweat ceased to bead on his skin and the room calmed, the pungent taste of stomach acids reaching and aching his throat with their acidic liquids but never quite coming close to forcing him to vomit up the dinner Katherine made for him. It was a total relief when he found himself standing upright again, one hand still resting on the foot of the bed more to keep himself from collapsing onto it in relaxation rather then as a pillar to keep himself standing.

And they stayed like that for awhile with Jack's fingers combing their way through his hair – the younger man admiring how the black jungle that sat atop Pitch's head tangled around his fingers but still felt like silk on the palm of his hands – and Pitch himself just enjoying the love and care he was receiving after such a brutal battle had occurred downstairs.

He chastised himself lightly even as the comfort went on, why wasn't he smart enough to pay attention to that _one basic fact_?! He might as well have left Jack in a cage with a vicious man eating lion. Before he could even finish that thought he had to endure riding another wave of nausea, another flashback of September and another forced swallow of stomach acid and near-regurgitated chicken stir fry.

And Jack was still there, growing ever closer and whispering sweet little comforts into his ear as if sensing his need for relaxation and companionship in this weakened moment, despite Pitch's mistake. The light warmth of his hands now messaging their way across his scalp as the sight of Jack's face growing ever closer, lips looking so entirely kissable but his breath was tarnished by the scent of vomit – he was sure. He stayed away for that specific reason.

"Jack..." He said his name desperately, as if it was his life blood and reason of living, because right now as images of that one bloody day in September played out in his mind again he couldn't help but cling hopelessly to some one, some _thing _that he knew for certain was actually there and assured him that it wasn't two years ago today, he was in the present. He could relax. "You and Mary need to get out of this house and _away from that man._" He wasn't sure he could even hold back anymore waves of vomit as he tried to rise again and the world spun dangerously around him, warning him to stay low.

"For right now let's make sure _you _are okay alright?" Jack said with a concerned voice and pulled on Pitch's sleeve with a careful, guiding hand. "Come lie down. It'll help." Reassuring, gentle, he wasn't in the crumbling remains anymore...he was with Jack.

As he cautiously lowering himself down onto the bed September's images relented and gave away to a feeling of comfort that had him wanting to hold and embrace Jack right here, in his own bed. _'Oh the places we could go...'_ he joked lightly as he fully relaxed on the bed with Jack's pacifying hand trailing up and down the column of his spine, unknowingly unwinding tensions all across his older boyfriend's body with this mere touch.

"Are you alright? Well...no...you're paler then...well you're paler then what's normal for you...but are you at least feeling better?" Obviously anxious and concerned – Pitch found himself grinning up at Jack in a state of post trouble bliss. Jack _cared, _he pushed aside his own anger just to help him...

"Much better..." He emitted a noise that sounded strangely of sex and want, his one of his hands reaching up to cup Jack's cheek and he closed his eyes as he felt the younger man's skin beneath it. Soft and warm to the touch. Jack smiled happily and he could feel pressure against his open palm, his lover leaning in appreciatively to his touch.

He could not _say _that he loved Jack. But he did. It was just becoming more and more evident to him as he was drawn into the younger man's world and life, becoming closer to him then anyone he had been with before in recent years. Jack made September...feel less scary, less like a reminder of all of his screw ups and perhaps more like a mere month on the calendar. An important date but nothing to panic over..."Jack..." He whispered quietly, opening his eyes again and seeing large blue ones that seemed to be dilated – mirroring his own emotions. "You can't..." He shook his head quietly and allowed his hand to drop from the high-schooler's face and onto his own, trying to quell the wave of emotion that came over him. "You can't _stay here _Jack..." The words came out like a mumble but the truth was much louder. "I know its obvious and it doesn't need to be said but..."

"I know..." Jack ran his fingers down from Pitch's scalp, slowly running them against the back of neck with his gaze towards Pitch but not focusing on him. Instead he was thinking of plans and ideas to leave this house and run away somehow..."But I've got nothing...no ideas..."

The older man thought for a second, enjoying the feeling against him and then let out an exhale of warm breath that signaled him switching from 'Loving' mode to 'Thinking' mode."...I've got a few."

His eyes came to focus on his older lover again, ears alert and body almost tense with attention. "I'm all ears."

"Family membe-"

"All in Russia, Germany or Alaska." Jack cut him off like the information was something he had committed to memory and reminded himself of everyday, almost robotic in the tone of voice with which he said it...Pitch realized this couldn't be the first time he thought of a full-blown absolute escape.

"Child services?"

"Like I said, no outside powers." Another almost mechanical response and Pitch couldn't help but give him a wide eyed look of disbelief before pointing the door leading downstairs and giving a look of '_Really?!'. _Jack responded with a mouthed '_Yes. Really._' The gray skinned man had to hand it to Jack – he was _devoted _to keeping this family together, or at least the non-abusive part of the family together.

Jack kept speaking though, as if it wasn't enough. "I'd much rather have a chance of keeping this family together."

"Why? You aren't the one ripping it apart!" He bit his tongue after reaching the end of that sentence, too much anger that was supposed to be directed at William came out there. He shook his head and ran a hand over his face in self-disgust, he didn't want to become Katherine and just unload all of his emotions of Jack just because he was emotionally strong.

"That." He pointed to Pitch with an unemotional expression. He tried to make it sound otherwise but to Pitch it sounded like he was being chastised – he decided to just lie there and take it, figuring that he deserved it after that last statement. "Is why I care. I'm not the one ripping it apart...William is. I never wanted anything to be like this."

A few seconds of damned silence that had them both thinking of what to say next before Pitch decided to be the bold one. "I'm sorry." It was loaded with more suppressed emotions then he could manage at one time and he pushed himself up carefully, kissing Jack with the sweetest of intentions...

Jack's arms wrapped around him and Pitch could feel his hands and fingers moving and touching the shirt as if trying to break through the cloth. Their lips melted against one another and upon breaking apart Pitch decided that he wouldn't have anymore of this.

He knew what people would do upon finding out...they'd hate him for it. They'd call him rude, disgusting, vulgar things like 'pedophile' and 'pervert', they would spite him and spit at him in hatred but...he would be damned to the profoundest parts of hell before he sat by and watched this all play out just because it was three months before Jack turned 18.

"Jack...come live with me." Pitch said, rising up and holding Jack close to him in an innocent embrace. He could remember their less then decent meeting in the cafe where it had been about _lust_...this was about love. This was _his _definition of love...

Taking a risk and being there for him to try and make his other's life as happy as possible.

He could feel Jack hug him tighter, more clingy then usual and let out shallow breaths – he was trying not to cry...he clearly knew the risks too. "Pitch..." He felt like his chest ached physically as his mind ran through everything that could possibly happen. '_Jail, loss of license, my father could come after him'_. "We can't...there's too much. You can't..."

"Watch me." He whispered, kissing the side of Jack's neck and admiring how his younger lover moved his head to the side let out a gentle pant of warm breath.

"M-my..." He gasped as he felt Pitch's tongue begin licking the more sensitive parts of his neck, setting parts of him alight that he could thankfully hide...for a little while. "My parents would n-..._yes..._not let it happen." He gasped and his hands, merely touching before, became his nails slowly scrapping down the unfortunately still clothed back.

Pitch ceased his administrations and smiled widely at Jack, admiring the little pout on his lips from his neck being abandoned. "Of course they won't...but you need _a lot _of studying time and besides, Mary needs to go out and get fresh air, visit friends, keep a nice social life..." A knowing grin..."You're just following all the responsibilities of a big brother while studying for College...that may or may not be you getting a degree in psychology, honestly I'm not sure that part of the plan matters that much."

Jack gazed at him for a moment, admiring the brilliance of his plan and wondering why the _hell _he didn't think of that before. It was the _perfect _plan. He got to spend time with both Mary and Pitch, he got time away from home and it wouldn't arouse too much suspicion from anyone.

"Of course though Jack," Pitch's grin turned into an ear to ear smile. "_You _also need your alone time as well...going out and eating pizza and perhaps an expensive restaurant with a...quote off quote 'friend'?"

"Oh yes! I have...such a _busy _schedule that I'll only have time to do my homework and sleep before I ran back out the door!" He chuckled and bounced on the bed in excitement, Pitch had to stop himself from getting excited at the sight of him – Jack was on the line between incredibly cute and undeniably sexy in a partly faux-innocent _'acting seductive in a school uniform'_ type of way. "And honestly, Mary has been asking me to take her to the arcade and mom needs a break I'm sure so I'll just have to take her...but I don't have a car...I'll just call my _'study partner'_." He laughed loudly and hugged Pitch with wide open arms and whispered to him. "Thank you...so much."

"Jack...you aren't even capable of understanding how welcome you are." Pitch whispered quietly, enjoying this delicate moment as it was...he noted his foolishness. How could he even think of killing himself when Jack obviously needed him? When he was so _required _in his beloved life?

He'd live on. Just for Jack and his little sister.

No one else.

–

_Funfact: The next chapter eventually brings an end to SOME of your angst, but only that caused by lack of sex...and it is really gonna seem out of place. _

_Fun fact 2: I'm itching to write a fanfic based on a what-if if Jack took the offer in Antarctica...and this chapter marks the about halfway point in the story._

_Fun fact 3: Pitch's episode choice or should I say 'Doodlebob' is actually an inside joke...and HEAVILY relates to the second half of the fic...that we are about to enter._


	19. The Internet is for Porn! (Bonus)

_Jack gazed at him for a moment, admiring the brilliance of his plan and wondering why the hell he didn't think of that before. It was the perfect plan. He got to spend time with both Mary and Pitch, he got time away from home and it wouldn't arouse too much suspicion from anyone. _

"_Of course though Jack," Pitch's grin turned into an ear to ear smile. "You also need your alone time as well...going out and eating pizza and perhaps an expensive restaurant with a...quote off quote 'friend'?" _

"_Oh yes! I have...such a busy schedule that I'll only have time to do my homework and sleep before I ran back out the door!" He chuckled and bounced on the bed in excitement, Pitch had to stop himself from getting excited at the sight of him – Jack was on the line between incredibly cute and undeniably sexy in a partly faux-innocent type of way. "And honestly, Mary has been asking me to take her to the arcade and mom needs a break I'm sure so I'll just have to take her...but I don't have a car...I'll just call my 'study partner'." He laughed loudly and hugged Pitch with wide open arms and whispered to him. "Thank you...so much." _

"_Jack...you aren't even capable of understanding how welcome you are."_

–

_3 hours later..._

Pitch was lucky enough to have to leave before his mother or father raised any questions – or before the latter came back in a drunken, hazy state of easily irritated anger. The less then beloved father had not yet returned from whatever bar he stomped off to after Pitch won their immature but entertaining battle.

But he was bored...and still moderately turned off after Pitch left. He didn't have per-say a hard, raging, leaking boner that needed his immediate attention but he was in a _mood _for a difficult 'problem' that Pitch refused for the second time in their relationship to solve...and so he decided that he'd finish himself...

But this time, unlike last time, he had a computer with a fully working internet in the room to help him with his 'problem'. He figured there was no real reason to actually masturbate if he didn't have anything to really go on – even the last time he got off it was with Pitch's voice purring seductively from the opposite side of town through a phone...

Within five minutes he found something that he actually got excited about on sight...

Oral sex porn...between two guys. He blushed frantically before he started watching it, not knowing quite what to expect but trying his very hardest – no pun intended – to at least give it a shot. Worse case scenario was that he didn't like it and it killed his want to actually get off to Pitch, which would actually be relieving...He pressed the play button on the video and the explosion of dirty words and noises coming through his all-too loud speakers made him jump and as quickly as he could, quiet down the less then decent sounds.

After making sure that his mother and sister hadn't become curious of his actions he began the video again, this time with his eyes pointed to the screen in lust and need – the mere sight of the sexual interaction being enough to turn him on.

_'Mmmh...come on...' _The moan that left his speaker had him thinking of Pitch, how massive his cock really was, what he could be doing to him or what they could do to each other. He took a deep breath and unzipped his tightening pants before collapsing back onto his bedspread – eyes barely able to stay glued onto the screen as they rolled back into his head.

He hissed through locked teeth and gazed at the screen in lust – the sight of one of the attractive actors dropping onto his hands and knees and immediately working the other man's erection with his mouth, swirling teasingly around it with his tongue before kissing the tip and then taking the whole erection into his mouth. It looked so _big, _so hard to take down but at the same time Jack couldn't help but wonder how it would feel for Pitch's manhood to enter into his own mouth. Would it be heavy and hard, make him mouth feel so unbelievably full and stuffed that he wouldn't be able to take in any more beyond his tip?

The receiver almost grabbed painfully hard onto the sides of his lover's head and purred wonderfully from the feeling. It intrigued a little part of Jack of how rough the other one was and how they both seemed to almost scream from the roughness, but Jack also saw a faint bit of...care. Like an amount of almost immeasurable trust had built up between them, like the hurt was just part of the sex and one could really...trust the other. Would Pitch be like that? Rough and dominating with a touch of emotion? Could he trust Pitch to that level?

Part of him hoped so as his hands lifted up his shirt and moved south, eyes half fluttering closed as they reached their destination – Jack's fingers caught his nipple and made him roll his hips upward, this is what he knew Pitch would do. He would _tease _and touch him everywhere first, take his time and make his boyfriend beg to be pounded into by his erected cock.

And Jack wouldn't have it any other way. He twisted his nipples lightly, letting out a purr as they hardened and the more submissive partner of the two playing on the screen let out a muffled moan, his eyes glanced towards them and his hands itched to grab his own erect member as he saw the rather large cock almost entirely disappear into the other man's mouth.

He'd never be able to take Pitch down that easy – he'd have to swirl his tongue around the tip and slowly bring him a finish and-

He drove himself into his own palm, his thoughts of the moaning of the dominant partner inserting itself into his own sexual fantasy – becoming Pitch's panting and needy calls for more and more of Jack's warm, delicate mouth.

His mouth wouldn't be able to fit it all. It was _too big _he decided he'd just lick and suckle on the tip like a lollipop, making sure his teeth didn't hurt him as he palmed the parts his older boyfriend's hardened, erected shaft that his untrained mouth couldn't reach – the thought that Pitch's tip might leak out just a bit of pre-cum onto his lips was so incredibly dirty and plain perverted of him to think such a thing...and that made him let out a moan that he couldn't help but let escape from his throat as he kept on rocking into his palm, white sticky cum leaking from his tip and slicking up the palm of his hand before he came hard.

He saw nothing but white and his body raised off of the bed from the feeling of lightning flashing through his eyelids and he swore he could almost feel the Earth shake beneath him and he wasn't _here _anymore...

Then the next second he was back on Earth, the porn video already finished as the alert sound on his computer clearly signaled...

_Wait..._alert sound?

He looked up to see his computer freezing and crashing...

_'Fucking **virus**' _Jack swore under his breath and got up to try and fix the damned thing but his hands were sticky with his own bodily fluids and he didn't want to wipe them on his sheets – he didn't want his mother to eventually find out when and if she got the urge to clean up the house. Instead, he got up and slammed the laptop shut. As quick and as quiet as a mouse he slipped downstairs into the bathroom and cleaned himself up, washing his hands first before anything else and then after _ensuring _they were clean he splashed his face with some water to help him stay awake. He figured whatever virus was on his computer wouldn't come out easy, even though he really didn't care much for it since it was a school computer that was horribly faulty and easily breakable to begin with which allowed him to he blame the crash on anything.

He swore under his breath that he would never let Pitch find out about what just happened though, it was far too embarrassing and it made him feel just a little _too_ turned on from thinking about how Pitch's cock might taste when he had it in his mouth – he had no experience with blow-jobs to begin with although the prospect did excite him...

He resigned himself to his room, setting up the computer so that it would do a system restore to a couple random days ago – he didn't care what day at this point with post-sexual excitement adrenaline leaving his veins and the encroaching time of midnight growing ever closer with each passing second. In passing he clicked off the light and let the entire room be overtaken by a dark stillness that was almost eerie in comparison to how it was earlier.

He got off the bed, putting his phone on the charger to make sure he could use it later if and when the time came before returning to his bed... then he slammed the bright blue screened laptop shut with an aggravated grunt of displeasure before almost pushing it off the bed and sliding back under the covers in exhaustion and letting himself drift off to a world of sleep.

–

_**Funfact: This chapter is a gift to a friend of mine, to you and is also a MAJOR**_ **_plot affecting point in the story._**

_**This is a 'bonus' chapter technically (not the rape/incest one) but it also comes back with some shockingly awesome results. Trust me, you're gonna either love this or hate this cop ou-**_

_**I mean...**_

_**Emerging character development **_


	20. Rainy Streets

_Chapter 19: Rainy Streets (Blue In Green)  
_

_He swore under his breath that he would never let Pitch find out about what just happened though, it was far too embarrassing and it made him feel just a little too turned on from thinking about how Pitch's cock might taste when he had it in his mouth – he had no experience with blow-jobs to begin with although the prospect did excite him..._

_He resigned himself to his room, setting up the computer so that it would do a system restore to a couple random days ago – he didn't care what day at this point with post-sexual excitement adrenaline leaving his veins and the encroaching time of midnight growing ever closer with each passing second. In passing he clicked off the light and let the entire room be overtaken by a dark stillness that was almost eerie in comparison to how it was earlier. _

_He slammed the bright blue screened laptop shut with an aggravated grunt of displeasure before almost pushing it off the bed and sliding back under the covers in exhaustion and letting himself drift off to a world of sleep._

–

He woke up with a slight crick in the back of his neck, irritating but nothing to try and take medication for or anything like that. He figured he had laid on it wrong and sat up, moving his hand to gently message the back of his head in a circular motion and replaying last night in his head with a grin faintly touching his lips.

Pitch, snark battle, Pitch won, brainstorming up an incredibly obvious but immensely amazing plan, Pitch leaving before his father came home and then masturbation.

Not a bad way to spend a night with your boyfriend if he did say himself. Pushing his way out of the comfort of his bed and taking a spill onto the floor, he grinned at the fact that it was _Saturday_. Still no school for quite some time and with Pitch's plan being such a grand idea he decided that maybe today would be the first day he and Mary spent wholly with Pitch.

However, there were multiple steps he would have to take to make sure something like this didn't backfire onto him. He had to suppress Katherine's suspicion and keep it next to non-existent – she was really the only major worry that he could see trying to ruin their relationship. _'And William wouldn't give a fuck about me even if Pitch __**was **__potentially dangerous.'_ Jack stopped himself from going on a rage – William was absolutely _disgusting _last night, he was actually terrible all the time but tonight he seemed to want to break a previously established record of his.

Especially considering the fact that this was one of the rare times he was sober and therefore supposed to be _bearable_. But it was obvious to Jack that William was intentionally going out of his way to anger his son in the quickest and most efficient way possible: hitting Katherine. He didn't _like _what Katherine would do sometimes, some of the scarring and painful things she would say would hurt him to the point of tears but that was only because he saw them as being closer. He didn't want to see her _hurt_. The anger that arose in him was only quelled by the passivity that his mother was showing, wordlessly telling him to quell his ire and save it for another day...

He wouldn't have been able to had it not been that Pitch had come to stand behind him, reassuring him through his presence alone and, from the quick glance he stole at him, quickly realizing just how atrocious the situation was.

But perhaps Pitch was right. Perhaps now it was time that he just stopped trying to hide it and went to the police but what proof could he possibly have to imprison his father and what could Katherine do in the end, to at least keep him away? He couldn't see William abiding by any form of a restraining order.

With a depressed sigh he strode over to his drawers and selected his clothing for the day, the excitement of the plan now fully overtaken by the lack of hope for the overall situation. He picked his phone up from the charger and shoved it into the pockets of one of the still unworn but now selected articles of clothing. Even if he _could _live til 18 in this house, what about Mary? He'd have to support her and her needs – and she certainly couldn't leave Katherine and William without gaining a large amount of negative attention. He chose a pair of tight dark jeans, a gray t-shirt and a black over-jacket – a faint part of him chuckling at how he was now almost emulating how Pitch dressed – dark and gray and black with an almost emo-vibe to it.

For now he just had to stick to the plan of just spending as much time out of the house as possible...it was bound to be fun after all – like tons and tons of dates plus one little child tagging along. He stalked his way downstairs, noticing the lack of a drunk father on the couch or a worried/drunk-comfort mother walking around in slow circles in the living room. With a relieved grin he slipped into the bathroom to take a quick shower and hopefully wash away his troubles before they came drunkenly stumbling through the front door.

Jack did _love _the cold, but the warmth of a quick shower was something he could almost die for – especially when he was stressed out. He unceremoniously shrugged off his wrinkled bedclothes and left them abandoned in the middle of the tiled floor before placing his new clothing near the sink and starting his shower.

He let his mind wonder places and eventually found himself thinking about Pitch and their plan just a little more in depth. What if eventually Katherine found out? What if too much time together drew the questioning eyes of their neighbors – and they noticed the mutual lack of a female companion or 'friend'? Pitch never set any hard rules or any step by step plan so much as _'lie to your parents and then let's spend time together', _so did he have a plan that he was carrying out independently or were they just dangerously and nonchalantly playing it all by ear? Or was he expecting Jack to come up with something more then just a simple lie of _'spending tons of time out because of school, social life and Mary' _and if so, what exactly was he expecting?

With a disgruntled huff of breath he checked the temperature of the water before he just moved himself in to stand underneath the spray. The feeling of warm droplets hitting his naked skin felt almost foreign but like a blessing, quickly washing his worries away at least for the time being. He made sure to run his fingers through his hair and moderately try to shampoo and condition it but it was a halfhearted effort – his hair really didn't need much care to begin with, thank goodness. He smiled when the memory of Pitch's fingertips moving against his scalp came back full force...he wanted to feel that again but his own fingers were too small and soft in comparison.

Pitch's hands were _gentle _and _smooth _but their weren't so much _soft..._'_I miss him already..._' Jack thought, pointing the spray downwards on his head and letting the soap and shampoo go running down the length of his body. He was not paying any attention to how the droplets fell anymore, he was thinking about Pitch and their 'relationship'.

It was 'official', they were a 'thing', they had _something _going on but Jack still didn't know what to exactly call it or why it really even existed. He wasn't _looking _for a partner although his rampaging hormones had inspired him to get one previously, a desire he had to suppress with the an iron fist and Mary's constant presence, and Pitch probably wasn't really looking for him either...

And yet over the past few days they had seemed to grow so close...Pitch was the only one he even let into himself, learning about his parent's abuse, the growing burden of his little sister and the entire mess of emotional drama that consumed and boiled around them for the past literal _decade._

Did Pitch feel the same way about him? Did Pitch feel like in some way he was letting Jack see a side of himself that no one else did? Jack didn't notice anything but...had Pitch shared anything truly intimate and close to him that Jack had missed?...He doubted it and slowly turned the shower off, standing there for a moment more to think about his older lover's plan and what was really at risk...

'_Is that it?_' Jack wondered, letting his head rest against the shower wall as water dripped from his body and recently turned off faucet. '_Is this...entire thing of him handling my problem how he's letting me in?_' He knew that there was no way that anyone in their right mind would put their life at stake so heavily with so much to lose just because they liked someone...'_Pitch don't...don't fuck yourself up for me..._' He felt moderately guilty – what if something happened? What if Pitch got arrested and charged for touching and kissing him? What if he got sent to prison and lost everyth-

He nearly slipped and fell over when his cellphone rung loudly, the sound reverberating and multiplying within the tile walls of the room. He left the shower, stepping out of it and quickly reaching into his clothing to pull out his ringing phone, a familiar number glowing brightly on the screen. _'Speak of the Devil...'_ Jack mumbled before answering. "Hey, I was just thinking about you." He didn't mean to let his voice sound so devoid of positive emotion but he couldn't quite translate his current feelings and transcribe them into his voice.

Pitch certainly picked up on it quick. _'Really? You sound rather upset all things considered...did I do something wrong?' _Obviously concerned and alerted by Jack's vocal stoicism.

_'Yes you idiot you're basically putting your life at risk for me of all people, fucking quit it.'_ Jack wanted to say but he held it down, not quite wanting to tackle that beast right now. He chose to wait until the two could meet face to face – maybe Monday before he went to school they could meet up or something. "No, I'm just...confused about the plan." Technically, that wasn't a downright lie it was just not telling the _exact_ truth.

_'What do you mean? What's to be confused about?' _

"It's just...where do we meet? When? What should I tell my parents? And Mary, what about her? I mean..." He tried to look for words that would describe their exact situation but nothing came to mind except for one word. "This is insane..." He let out a sigh and looked at his selected clothing without focusing.

_'How so?'_

"Pitch!" He felt almost enraged – how could Pitch just be so casual and carefree about something like their _illegal_ relationship? "This plan has no _structure _to it. It's barely a plan-"

_'Oh!' _Pitch seemed to realize what he was talking about and Jack felt a strange sort of relaxation come over him. Maybe how they could actually talk and brainstorm something that would _make sense _rather then just throw something together...then something unexpected happened...he chuckled. Jack wished he could turn his anger into something he could physically hit Pitch with. _'Jack we aren't stealing the crown jewels here, we're hiding our relationship from two **drunks**_. _By going out and spending time together like **friend****s **do. Honestly...'_

"Pitch still you know..." He moved his head to the left so that he could keep the phone near his ear while he got dressed into his new choice of clothing. "I mean, how are we supposed to organize? Me and Mary just can't run out everyday and embark on some grand adventure with you without turning a few heads after people notice we're running out _every day_ someplace." The truth was more that he didn't want people's suspicion turning to Pitch. He originally just wanted he and Mary to live happily and if not him then just Mary, and that had required so much _responsibility _and sacrifice...And now he wanted to be happy with Pitch _and _let Mary live a happy life.

How much more obligation would he have to burden on his already near-overloaded shoulders to find his own happiness with Pitch? How much more could he take before he finally broke and stopped caring like his father did, throwing caution to the wind and letting himself fall into dangerous habits just to dull out the fact that he couldn't _take anymore_.

_'Jack honestly, I know I said we're not stealing the crown jewels but you don't think I don't have a nice little plan for this?' _He could feel Pitch's grin come through the phone and he didn't want to have any of it right now.

"Pitch this..._us.._" He knew he wanted to wait until Monday but he couldn't bear to hear Pitch be so_ unconcerned _about a decision that could potentially ruin his life. "It's dangerous for the both of us but..." He paused and walked over to the door, opening it slightly and making sure no one was overhearing their conversation.

Not a single soul. He closed the door behind him and turned around, leaning his nude back up against the smooth, painted wooden surface. "_We_...are not something that society views as O.K. Pitch, you already know that. Why are you acting like this..." He shook his head lightly and almost felt pricks of tears in his eyes. "Like you don't have anything to lose?"

–

_'Like you don't have anything to lose?'_ Pitch could sense the wild rainbow variety of emotions that loaded that last sentence and it hit him hard, square in the chest and he couldn't do anything to prevent it. With a sigh of non-physical pain he rose from his recliner and walked over one of the large living room windows and opened the curtains wide.

It was raining, not hard enough to stop them from going out but enough so that they'd need an umbrella...he faintly thought about Jack's words and how he should respond, how much his response would reveal. Jack was younger then him but he certainly wasn't any less intelligent, in fact Pitch would put the younger man's mind against and above his own for a good variety of things...

So he wanted to word it carefully so that Jack wouldn't read too hard into it and see the pattern and discover...September. He ran his finger carefully down one of the windows, admiring the patterns of the raindrops and thinking to himself...

_'Pitch_._'_

Jack was getting antsy and nervous..."Give me a moment..." He wondered if maybe he was thinking too hard and should just respond honestly – he had no real reason to lie from what he believed and if anything the truth would be more convincing. But could he reveal the truth, could he rip back the blanket that how covered September for so long? Something only he, Sandman and those who witnessed it knew?

"Jack...the reason I'm doing this is because..."

_'I want you to know the truth.'_ No. _'I want you to be happy_._' _True, but no. _'I want to be closer to you._' True, no again...

"Is because in this world...I...I don't even think you _know_." Pitch let his hand glide back through his locks of hair as he tried to reel in his rambling. Of course Jack didn't _know, _how could he? "I...lost a lot to this world-" _And I've taken far too much from it. _"And you are really the only thing I have left to lose." His voice was quivering, wavering with emotions he couldn't filter out and erase. He felt weaker, frightened, smaller, less the imposing, scary figure that young children sometimes saw him as and more the young man who had discovered that he had done something horrific, back in September.

But this time there was no retching or bile...just a faint pain in the upper right side of his chest that signaled he could indeed remember that day like it had just occurred mere moments ago – the visions were there, vividly flashing but the feelings attached to them had grown weaker as of late...was it because of Jack?

The silence that took over their call was lengthy and understandable – he didn't see a reason why something like what he just said, said in such a way, needed some abysmally long conversation to follow. Silence was fine. He could work with silence.

–

Jack stood there for a few minutes, thinking about what Pitch just said and crying quietly without realizing that he let even a single tear fall. It sounded so _passionate _and Pitch's voice, he never heard it so sad and truthful sounding, even if what he just said was possibly the most cliche things he ever heard he knew it was unquestionable truth.

He tried to hold the phone in-between the side of his head and his shoulder again but since he needed to put on his shirt that wouldn't work until he put the phone down...he _refused_ toput this phone down until he could think of something to say that would actually be a good response. Even if it took forever. "Pitch I just..." _How...do I even try to top that or respond to it?_ "I just think that maybe this...what we are, this whole..._'love'_ thing..."

_'Jack, are you really going to sit on the opposite end of this call and **question** love? Because dear – with no offense to you, I personally don't and strongly advise against it.' _

Jack licked his lips and scratched the back of his head, unable to really think of anything more to say. This was it wasn't it? They were actually going to break the law, challenge society and risk everything because of _love._ "What we are...is absolutely _insane_ Pitch and to be honest...I wouldn't have it any other way at this point."

_'But of course you wouldn't. Love isn't exactly something that can be rationalized or questioned, only accepted.' _

"You're certainly in a poetic mood...being all cheesy." Jack laughed lightly, understanding where Pitch was coming from – Pitch _knew _the risks and decided it was worth it, no matter what price he might have to pay when it came down to it. He _knew _and made this decision, it wasn't a choice of no thought. He felt...loved...a strange wave of warmth making its way all throughout his body while he chuckled a little more from the feeling.

_'Well you caught me at a good hour. What can I say?'_

"Well...you can say that your going to take me out today for our plan and..._hold on_." He placed the phone down quickly so he could shove on his shirt, only to quickly scramble back to the rectangular device a second later. "Sorry. Yes take me out today."

_'Alright, I'm going to take you out today...but it's raining you know.'_

"It is?" Jack speedily picked up his jacket in passing before turning to the faucet. Personal grooming should be of the utmost importance if he was going to spend the day with his boyfriend..."Umm...teeth." He put the phone down and got to work while Pitch awkwardly waited on the opposite end of the phone for a few minutes – only to nearly jump at hearing Jack's voice again after so long. "Sorry, morning routine." He made sure his pearly whites were still pearly and white before flicking the light off and leaving the bathroom. Everyone still seemed to be asleep but there was no reason to get careless about him and Pitch now.

He strode up the steps. "Take me to the mall or something then...someplace child friendly – for Mary."

_'Alright, anything else?'_

"Not that I can-" He stopped mid sentence upon seeing his little sister standing in the middle of his room, still adorned in her nightgown with her hair looking crazed and tossed in every direction. She looked sleepy and confused but didn't directly look at him until he began walking over to her. "Mary what's wrong?" He never saw Mary come up here herself before, without him either already being up here and calling her directly ascending the steps with her.

"I woke up and I wanted to see you." She tiredly rubbed the sleep out of her large brown eyes and Jack could only smile – why was his little sister so adorable and cute? "Mommy left I think, I looked for her and she wasn't in bed..."

"And Dad didn't come back." Jack didn't even realize that he was still holding onto the phone, holding it to his ear and accidentally relaying the entire conversation to Pitch. Mary could see the phone though..

"Who are you talking to?"

"Who- _oh_ right, I'm just talking to Pitch. I think we might be having a day out, wanna go to the mall Mary?" He said happily, embracing her diminutive form and laughing as he felt her spirits rise to the point where she physically almost shook with excitement.

"Yes! Can I come? Please?!"

_'Jack put me on speaker.'_ He almost forgot about his beau's existence for a moment there...and how to turn on speaker until he fumbled with the phone for a good fifteen seconds.

"Alright I think it's o-"

"_Hi Mister Pitch!" _Mary yelled at the top of her lungs and Jack winced from the proximity of Mary's mouth to his ear. The little girl didn't have size but she did seem to have some serious _volume _at least.

_'...Hi.' _By the sound of it, Pitch had gotten a full frontal assault on his earlobe from that one. Jack grinned and held Mary a little tighter – not so much that it would hurt but just enough.

"Too loud Snowflake." He smiled earnestly at her and then turned back to the phone to speak to Pitch. "So are we meeting somewhere, what time, I need to kind of know the specifics..."

_'Of course. I don't expect you to get to a place without knowing where it is...'_ Pitch spoke with a self satisfied grin on his face while Jack rolled his eyes – it was him trying to use his charisma and snark over the phone but when you couldn't _see _him it just sounded like he was an egotistical dick-wad._ 'it's 10:25 right now. I'll come to you...11 okay?"_

"If we aren't there by 11:30, our parents came home and said no." Jack got up in that moment and grasped Mary's hand, leading her down the steps and into her room while continuing to talk to Pitch. He assumed that Pitch meant they were meeting at the cafe at 11. "So are we going to Pia's Mall or someplace else?"

_'__That'd be fine...__'_ He knew that place, it was close, bustling with activity for a good majority of the day and there was a movie theater nearby. Plenty of time to waste away there.

"I'm sorry if I'm being too insistent." He chose out two articles of clothing for Mary and then grinned at her as he jumped up and down in happiness – when was the last time that they had gone out of the house from their own want and desire to? He couldn't even remember...he intended to make sure he never forgot. "Just...really nice day is all."

_'Despite the rain I'm sure...' _The faint sound of movement and jostling of the phone rung in Jack's ears – he must've been getting ready too.

"We don't have to go if the rain is bothering you." Jack spoke honestly and he could almost see Mary's bouncing stop and her emotions and heart drop to the floor and shatter to pieces – he really felt sorry about that but it was true, they didn't immediately _need _to go rushing out of the door right now.

There was a period of uncharacteristic silence in between them that ended with Pitch's playful tone of voice returning and the sound of a car door slamming shut. _'Mary tell Jack he's being stupid.' _

Mary laughed and jumped up and down, a coy smile on her young face. "You're being stupid big brother!"

_'Yes Jack 'you're being stupid big brother'.' _The quiet rumble of a car engine in the background and the sound of movement, wind and rain rushing past and hitting a car's windshield dead on. Jack reasoned that Pitch was already driving as they spoke.

"Oh so now I'm the bad guy?" Jack smiled, quickly catching on. Even if Pitch _didn't _want to go he still wanted to entertain Mary at the very least, besides they had both already encouraged the young child's excitement and wanted to get out of the house – it'd be a waste of time and a terrible let down if they just stopped because of a little rain.

_'I don't know, Mary is big brother a bad guy now?' _

"No, but I have to get dressed now mkay?" She said, smiling and accepting the clothing Jack gave to her as he went to the door. "Bye bye mister Pitch!"

_'See you soon!' _His voice was very enthusiastic and positive as Jack closed the door behind him and let Mary get dressed without being seen.

"So Pitch, Are we going to get something to eat when we get there or-?" Jack leaned against the door to Mary's room smugly, a faint phantom's grin pulling on his lips that he didn't let show despite the fact the no one could see him.

_'Up to you really...I'm almost there anyway.' _

"Alright, I'll let you go then." He really _didn't _want to hang up on Pitch – he enjoyed the sound of his older lover's voice coming through the phone, but it would probably just distract Pitch from driving if he kept on talking especially since he had nothing of much importance to say anyway. "See you soon!" He smiled and hung up before removing himself from the door – what now?

_'Umbrella...' _Jack whispered to himself before remembering that both he and Mary didn't have umbrellas...the last one he remembered seeing was in Katherine and William's room. With a discontented huff of heavy breath he turned to face his parent's room with a passive gaze of malignity aimed toward it – his anger more focused on the man who often inhabited in that room rather then the room itself.

With a less then willing feeling, he swung the door open and strode reluctantly into the room. Unlike before, when everything was surprisingly clean and fresh smelling despite the room's inhabitants being so...less then that it was now up to par with how Jack had originally imagined. It was not as _hideous _as he imagined with layers upon layers of stomach turning, health ruining grime, but it was a pig sty – clothing thrown about haphazardly and without care for where the cloth landed on or in. Beer bottles – at least five or six – lie half emptied in the center of the ruined, alcohol stained bed and then entire room _stunk_ like the back of a fucking _barn_. Jack held his nose and sighed – he wondered why things like this surprised him, it's not like his parents had made anything alluding to progress with their alcohol usage.

He searched depressingly for the umbrella, closing the door behind him lest Mary walk in and see the room. She didn't need to witness this.

He couldn't even hear the shuffling that had made its way down that hallway numerous times before in the past. Slow, lazy, drunken crawling behind the now closed door – an intoxicated and disgraced Katherine crawling away to hide her shame of Jack seeing the state of the room. It took all her inner-strength to stop herself from bursting into tears – she wasn't sure who Jack would think drank all that beer but it certainly wasn't William.

In a dazed sort of consciousness she hit her head lightly against the door, twice in quick succession and Mary – knowing the signal already by heart – opened the door and let her drunk mother in.

"Thank you..." The alcoholic whispered as she made her way inside, literally on her hands and knees and made her way to Mary's closet before the younger girl approached the small storage space with a frown on her face.

"Mommy...me and Jack are going out for the day...are you gonna be O.K.?"

"Ummm.." She sniffled, tears were coming. It would hurt like hell to stifle them but god be damned if she would let Jack – who clearly didn't even know _why _his parents both drank – find out about any of the circumstances surrounding it. "No." She answered honestly, leaning herself back against the furthest wall in the closet. "But I'm...I'm gonna be here for you." She said, holding back any significant noise she would've made at that moment before Mary heard Jack slam the closet door from the other room. The young eight year old looked down at the diminutive form of her emotionally and physically weakened and off-set mother before smiling weakly.

"I love you Mommy."

"I love you too baby..." She said, resting her head against the walls and enjoying the cool surface against her overheated skin and almost sighed with relief as Mary took out a pair of shoes she deemed reasonable. _'She doesn't need me all that much anymore...shes growing up to be such a smart young woman...'_ And gently closed the door, giving her mother one last look of grief-filled look, not of anger or hate but of a love that wished to somehow save her, before Jack walked in and she had to shut the door completely, lest he see.

"Alright big brother!" Mary turned to Jack with a happy smile, separating herself from the woman hiding in the closet that was quietly crying. "I'm ready to go!"

"Alright..." Jack smiled and nodded, reaching for his little sister's hand and walking her out to the living room so that he could put her shoes on her comfortably. Before shutting the door he placed the umbrella next to the door frame, happy to see that it had still been where he remembered it.

He closed the door behind him, took hold of the umbrella and Katherine took the moment to sob just a little harder, let out just a little more of that pain.

_'Why – God why? It's not fair! He was so fucking **young.**' _She cursed, taking quiet gasps of breath as she turned into a ball, her knees coming up to her chest while she choked back waves of tears, hoping that Jack wouldn't find out the truth...

Uncle North who was so similar to Jack, born with white hair and that naturally toothy, overly confident smile that shone in sunlight, who was Katherine's older brother, who treated her like royalty, who protected her like she was the world's rarest gem, who helped her out throughout all of her life, who payed for her college, who helped her find the man of her dreams...didn't want them over there like Jack thought after he stormed out that night...He wasn't _'calling all the time' _for them to come over or _'sending them presents'_. That was a ruse by Katherine to help her cope...her brother wasn't sending them presents or calling...

He wasn't even breathing.

He had been dead for the past eleven years.

And she still had yet to get past it.

–

_**Fun fact: Alternate title for this chapter; Chapter 8, The Revenge!**_

_**Yeah surprise sucker punch to the feels – no remorse. That's how we work in Angelblaze world. **_

_**We're only moderately sorry.**_

_**Also do try to remember that you're often seeing things from Jack's point of view and are therefore usually limited to his. Hence the surprise.**_

_**Song title is Rainy Streets by Blue in Green.**_


	21. A Little Wish

"_Alright..." Jack smiled and nodded, reaching for his little sister's hand and walking her out to the living room so that he could put her shoes on her comfortably. Before shutting the door he placed the umbrella next to the door frame, happy to see that it had still been where he remembered it._

_He closed the door behind him, took hold of the umbrella and Katherine took the moment to sob just a little harder, let out just a little more of that pain._

_'Why – God why? It's not fair! He was so fucking **young.**' She cursed, taking quiet gasps of breath as she turned into a ball, her knees coming up to her chest while she choked back waves of tears, hoping that Jack wouldn't find out the truth..._

_Uncle North who was so similar to Jack, born with white hair and that naturally toothy, overly confident smile that shone in sunlight, who was Katherine's older brother, who treated her like royalty, who protected her like she was the world's rarest gem, who helped her out throughout all of her life, who payed for her college, who helped her find the man of her dreams...didn't want them over there like Jack thought after he stormed out that night...He wasn't 'calling all the time' for them to come over or 'sending them presents'. That was a ruse by Katherine to help her cope...her brother wasn't sending them presents or calling..._

_He wasn't even breathing._

_He had been dead for the past eleven years._

_And she still had yet to get over it._

–

No longer on the phone with Pitch nor able to find Katherine or her less then welcome husband anywhere inside the home, Jack resolved to make Mary and himself look their very best before heading out.

"Mary did you brush your teeth and wash your face?"

"Ummm...no."

"Go ahead then, bathroom's free." Jack grinned and nudged her over to the lavatory with an encouraging hand – he _did _want her to get cleaned up, but he needed a moment of privacy to make sure that he was okay considering he was going out with a man that had made him do things that his own school frowned upon at times.

"Alrighty then." Mary responded, confused as to why her brother was so pushy about something as simple as her teeth and face but not questioning it – she was about to go outside for something other then school and running away from daddy when he got too scary. It would be fun! And Mister Pitch was coming too!

Upon hearing the gentle sound of the door's tumblers and the following sound of the faucet spitting out water for Mary, Jack took it upon himself to make sure that _he _looked presentable. He patted his hair down and straightened his clothing up, making sure that it hung against him in all the right places where he knew Pitch's hands seemed to like to linger and tease. For a moment he wanted to put on some type of sleeveless shirt or something – something that showed skin _decently _but would be enough to tease him.

The thought of Pitch licking his lips in desire as he gazed towards Jack – that he would be the only driving his beau up the wall with arousal without even realizing it – was something that was so powerfully hot that he almost considered getting one. But then he took a look at his arms and saw how thin and lanky and overall _lacking _in body fat or muscle he was. He might as well have been nothing but skin and bone...7h

With a disgruntled pout he focused on the one thing he knew Pitch loved the most, or at least was his main goal...his ass. With speedy feet he strode back into the unbearable smelling room of both his parents and looking into the mirror, turning halfway around so that he could examine himself more thoroughly.

And there was at least _one _thing to be thankful for! It was heart shaped, the pants didn't feel _too _restricting on his movement and best part: the curves, roundness and shape of his ass were blessedly shown off to an almost boastful degree. He was almost afraid that he might attract the gaze of guys _other _then his boyfriend...oh he wondered if Pitch would find that hot – other men looking over in envy at the young lover by his side. Then Pitch would grab him around his waist protectively and possessively as if to say _'This is mine, fuck off!' _before they'd keep on walking...Jack was almost floating in an ocean of glee. With a victorious smile he strode back out and into the living room, finding Mary seated on the couch and ready to go.

"O.K. then snowflake. Let's go over the rules before we go out." Jack smiled as he came near her, patting down her hair again and advising her. "No walking off or talking to strangers unless told otherwise specifically by me. Even if they have candy and toys okay?"

"Got it!" Mary said excitedly. The last time she ever remembered getting the speech was years ago when Katherine could be bothered to occasionally take her children to the park for an hour of so of freedom. One would think that she would be more excited to get out of the house and get away from William by using both him and Mary as perfect excuses.

"If they try to give you any toys or cand-" The ringing of his cellphone cut off his sentence again and Jack quickly picked it up, not looking too hard at the screen and not noticing...

_'Hello?'_

The voice wasn't the deep luxurious voice of his boyfriend, it was someone _else_. It was familiar, male and it faintly rung in his ears, awaking certain memories inside of his mind." Jamie?" He asked nervously...how did Jamie get his number?

_'Jack?'_ Jamie asked tentatively to make sure it was indeed his classmate on the opposite end of the phone before laughing just at the smile time that Jack chose to chuckle, entertained. _'So you finally got your hands on a phone.'_

"Kinda sorta." Technically he didn't buy it – his mother and father, wherever they were to be found – did. Pitch probably was still making his way to the café, no reason to really hurry up and hang up on Jamie...might as well make some useless conversation. "So...I haven't seen you around in a long time. Where you been?" He runs his hands through Mary's hair and grins. _'She needs a haircut.'_

_'Around. I actually don't have time to talk right now, I've got a little work to do honestly. I just __wanted to make sure this was your number. ' _Jamie said quickly, as if he was rushing off to finish something extremely important but at the same time he sounded like he was out of it – like something was just wrong on a basic level.

Jack chalked it up to things between them still being awkward and hard to ascertain at the moment. "O.K. I'll let you go then. Talk to you later?" After a little more then a second of thinking about what he just said he realized that he didn't want to speak with Jamie much any more...and had no want to 'fix' that lack of communication.

_'Yeah I might catch you around.' _He said no more then that as he sounded like he was actually _running _at this point, voice panting and gasping for much needed breath with the sound of wind coming through the phone.

"Alright...see you." Jack speedily hung up the phone before things between him and Jamie got any more awkward then what they already were. He didn't _enjoy _talking to Jamie like he did before and he couldn't pinpoint why the urge to just stay away or just not talk to him was becoming so strong...all he knew is that he should probably listen to it.

He glanced over to Mary who was staring up at him with curious eyes asking 'Who was that', repeatedly with the gaze. Jack smiled and ruffled her hair – barely remembering the time he spent patting it down. "No one important, Snowflake..." He got up and silently urged her to ask well so he could pat her hair down again and lead them to the door; Pitch was probably sitting in front of the café already. He could faintly hear Mary singing the Spongebob Squarepants theme song under her breath as they approached the door. "Ah, you and Pitch really hit it off huh?" He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular and wasn't expecting a response, it was more an observation that was unintentionally vocalized.

Mary answered anyway. "Mmhmm." A simple, short and sweet answer as Jack pushed the door open and the September winds and rain were reveal to them, definitely not anything that could remotely be considered 'going-out' weather. The older Frost was considering. But then Jack could see a familiar shadowed figure, gazing apathetically at the cement pavement and holding a black umbrella waiting right outside their door, leaning up against a long-familiar glistening black car that seemed to look even shinier in the cloudy blue-grey light provided by the sky and rain.

Mary could tell before he could. "Mr. Pitch!" She shouted over the almost stormy rains and winds that made her hair fly about and into her face. He gazed up in alarm, hearing the young girl's shrill voice and almost mistaking it as a cry for help as he looked up to see a waving Frost girl and responded with a wave of his own before smiling.

Jack waved as well, not expecting Pitch to be waiting right outside their door for them but accepting it – he'd hate to have to walk Mary all the way to the Café through the storm anyway. He took Mary in hand, feeling her ever-increasing excitement and glee through the touch alone, and escorting her down the steps of their porch and ensuring she wouldn't slip or fall.

"Well hello there milady Mary." Pitch spoke as they approached, kneeling down to her level and lowering his umbrella accordingly with his charming grin on full blast. Mary giggled lightly and responded in kind upon reaching the car with her older brother standing nearby, observing and admiring the entire scene.

"Well hello to you too my good Sir Mister Pitch!" She curtsied and Pitch shook his head with a laugh before moving to open the back door and allowed her to climb in.

"Be sure to buckle your seat-belt Mary." Jack said before stepping a little closer to his boyfriend. "Thanks." A hasty whisper before he resigned himself to the front seat of the car.

"No problem." Pitch responded, knowingly. He moved to his place in the driver's seat and put his own umbrella next to Jack's feet with an apologetic smile. His younger lover returned it in kind and buckled himself in before turning to the window, wanting to hear Itch's voice but really having nothing important or immediate to talk about.

"Be sure that you're all buckled in back there Mary." Pitch has expected Jack to do a second confirmation concerning his little sister's safety but he decided not to push the subject and to just go. The car pulled away from the near-empty home of the Frost family and out into the road; for the first time in a long time Jack and Mary were going _out_.

–

The first thing Jack realized about Pitch's driving habits or perhaps his overall personality, was that he was a very good driver from what the older Frost could tell – but both of the younger people in the car could tell that Pitch was not the world's greatest entertainer. The car radio went completely untouched and soundless during the whole ride with the only thing similar to music that they both heard was the sound of hard rain hitting the face of his car.

Not that either child complained – at least not aloud, Pitch was literally taking time out of his morning and afternoon to take them out for a day or at least an hour. Any time spent out of the house was better then any spent in it and they both silently knew that and we're more then willing to grab any precious second away from that place as they possibly could. Instead for entertainment each child separately and quietly drew patterns in the fogging window and admired the sight of the heavy rain falling here and there and the trees seeming to nearly sway under the powerful might of the wind.

In the driver's seat Pitch was resisting the urge to laugh embarrassingly out of self-deprecation, he knew he should probably talk or at least turn the radio on for some background noise but for some reason he just _couldn't. _Talking at the current moment seemed to almost be forbidden and really, right now he didn't want to stop putting all his attention on the road lest he get another repeat of September...no. Not with the younger children in the car. He stopped teasing so strongly around the steering wheel and exhaled softly – not even remembering when he began to hold his breath.

At last, before Pitch could choke on his own awkwardness they arrived at Pia Mall without incident and he exhaled again before parking the car close to the entrance. Behind him he heard Mary begin giggling again and Jack turned around and nodded to her, a signal to get out.

_'Good to know that **someone **knows what the hell they should be doing right now.' _Pitch said with self-focused mortification. What was he doing aside from just keeping them out of the house? Was this a date or him babysitting? Were they actually going to get something to eat or what? He sighed and grabbed his umbrella, hiding his confusion and self-dissatisfaction under a happy smile when Jack threw him a concerned and questioning look.

"Alright then, Mary stay close to either me and your brother at all times." That much he knew was something he had to say and got out the car, flipping open his umbrella and smiling again upon seeing Mary exit the car on the same side and run for cover. He had to lean down to make sure she was covered before Jack came over and used his own umbrella to cover them. "Sorry, I'm a giant I'm afraid." He spoke to the younger Frost child over the rain. She grinned up at him.

"The Boogeyman needs to be tall or else he won't be scary!" Mary smiled and tugged at Pitch's free hand, pointing wildly towards the mall. "Come on, come on!"

"No running in the parking lot-" Jack scorned but couldn't finish as Pitch let himself get dragged into the mall by the over-excited little girl and found himself dashing to keep up. _'It's great that you guys are getting along but for fuck's sake Pitch...a little backbone and resistance.' _Jack closed his umbrella as he reached the inside of the store and found the pair standing a little ways off, Pitch closing his umbrella while Mary began listing off the things she wanted to do today.

"We'll get pizza with lots and lots of pepperoni or ummm..." Mary looked around at the nearby stores, rows and rows and _rows _of things for her to make Pitch buy for her – and if Jack was judging the happy and pleased look on Pitch's face right he would be putty in her hands. She yelled loudly and pointed to a candy shack with an excited smile. "That one! Pitch, I mean Mister Pitch please buy me some-"

And then Jack retracted his words upon seeing how Pitch reacted to even seeing the store, like he was resisting the urge to throw up viciously before he turned to glance down at Mary, switching his look of disgust for one of negotiation.

"How about we get some lunch first? Then if you finish your lunch and you still want some candy we'll get some okay?" Pitch said, hiding his want to _not _go near that store right now under a much less suspicious parental hand.

Jack chose then to approach – Pitch didn't have a problem buying him any sweets before and...he realized he saw Pitch get sick like that before, in his room last night during his visit. He barely paid any attention to that at the time but...what exactly was wrong then and now? Whatever it was, he figured that until he could bring it up in casual conversation it would be best to leave it alone for now. "Yeah Mary, lets get some pizza or burgers first before we pump you full of sugar and you start bouncing off of the walls." He chuckled.

"I don't _bounce _off the walls! I just get happy, like I am now cause I get to spend time with you and Mister Pitch!" She said, hugging Pitch with a wide grin – the older man let out a deep laugh his own and pet her head. "I mean...I'm having so much fun already just being out with you guys, I wish that this could happen more!" She let go and skipped Jack's side with a smile, grabbing his hand and giggling.

"Don't worry little Mary, it will. I'm sure." Pitch grins before glancing around – really only avoiding letting his eyes focus on the candy store – and straight-away found the pizza place, his speed definitely fuelled by his desire to get away from anything sweet and sugary at the moment with the familiar feeling of his stomach lurching forward to begin its ascent up his throat and through his mouth.

Instead, he watched Jack and Mary as they instead got in line with the other mall-goers. _'Funny...'_ he mentally remarks, refusing to allow his smile to show. He forgot that they were even in a public place...he approaches the line with his younger boyfriend and little sister...and then stops short after doing a once over of the queue.

There was an auburn haired young man about Jack's age, almost hidden in beyond the line that glared with hatred directly at him...and this wasn't a type of natural, normal dislike. This was _William _level glare, if not something beyond. The type of dislike that didn't lead to just violence, it lead to human torture and pain. He stopped, gazed towards him and glared back – the seriousness in his eyes betraying his evident facial expression of pleased entertainment.

_'I don't know who you are.'_ He mouthed, not even caring if the boy was paying any attention or could see and read his lips clearly through the crowd of people. _'But I don't care.' _He finished with a powerful, face-twisting sneer that lasted all of a few moments before rejoining the line – Jack's attention had been diverted from him to Mary somewhere along the line while ordering pizza.

He slid in next to the younger boy and handed the worker his credit card with a toothless beam before looking at Jack for a half second a looking away. _'My treat, everything.'_ He thought, hoping that his younger lover would get it just from his half-second gaze alone.

"Ummm...three slices of pepperoni pizza and two bottles of pepsi..." Jack's voice faded out into the background while Pitch tried to remember if he saw that child before anywhere...was he a client? A friend's child? Did he even matter? Perhaps it was his Agyria that gained the teen's negative attention.

One thing was for certain; he knew Pitch – that stare just screamed of a promise for something like _revenge _rather then mindless, non-calculated, blind violence. Whoever he was, he felt wronged and was out to get some type of payback...Pitch's breath hitched..._'Maybe he's from a year ago, at the Belladonna?' _He bit his lip and tried to remember before cursing himself, no clear answer came up that he could actually pin to the young teen without having to second guess himself. Memories from back then were fuzzy and crude...it had been so long ago since he last stepped inside the Belladonna...he could faintly remember his first time there, uneasy, frightened, lonely...but searching for some type of escap-

A tug at his hand had him just about jumping through the ceiling with startled fright. He looked down to see Mary with her gentle brown eyes wide and brimming with curiosity. "Mister Pitch?" Her light-hearted, high pitched, youthful voice called out in worry and inquisitiveness for her newest friend and he smiled warmly at her.

"I'm sorry, my imagination takes me places." He excused himself. _'None of them too good or anything you need to hear about.' _He let Jack lead them to a table to eat while he sat down opposite them, too deep in thought with his mind being too busy doing jumping-jacks – no pun intended – to remember if he ever met that child before.

Having an angry, belligerent drunk on their tail was fine but someone who might actually have some trustworthy word or was known to be of good, upstanding moral philosophy? Entirely another. If this kid knew anything about him and Jack or had anything against him that he'd be willing to send Jack down for as well...he'd be trouble.

If that alone was true _and _they had met at the Belladonna during a time where Pitch could have given him all good reason to betray him, stab him in the back and hand him over to the appropriate authorities? Big trouble, massive trouble, him and Jack would have a vast living, breathing, _intelligent_ problem to deal with.

He bit his teeth to stop himself from sighing and then played it off as if he was licking his lips – not wanting to worry either Frost with his own trail of thought despite his uncertainty about whether or not they saw him glaring and mouthing words. This was their day off to get _away _from worry, not to have to deal with his own version of choler, hostility and resentment, William undoubtedly gave them both more then enough for a lifetime already.

_'But who the hell **is **that child?' _Pitch withstood his urges to lean back in his chair and balance – he made a note to try and kill that habit, it wasn't healthy or physically safe for him.

Could he be a friend of William's?...No. Couldn't be. Unless William worked with children and had some sort of control over them – no. That couldn't possibly be the answer...this was something _personal_.

Who had he hurt to such an extent as to make them glare in such a way?...

"Pitch you're burning a hole through the center of the table." Jack said in a matter-of-factly way, tearing the man from his thoughts, and focused on his pizza while Mary looked at Pitch with ever curious round eyes.

"What'cha thinking about?" She cocked her head carefully to the side in question and Pitch turned his attention to her with a smile.

She may have been a reminder of September but she was such a sweet, young, youthful little thing...so filled with life, passion, hopes, dreams...just like... "Nothing really..." He let his voice trail off and wrinkled his nose before looking again, seeing if the child was still standing there, staring. He only found a few teenagers walking about with their phones out, nothing to be concerned about...he turned back to Mary and Jack. "Done with your pizza?"

"Almost." Mary spoke between almost in-humane mouthfuls that betrayed the size of her tiny mouth.

"Human bites Mary!" Jack said, finishing the crust of his pizza and tossing a tiny remaining piece back onto the diminutive box that sat in the center of the table, completely empty.

"M'kay." A muffled voice from a stuffed mouth that threw everything Jack said to the wind and quickly finished the remainder of the pizza pie slice.

–

After abandoning their table and the empty pizza box – Jack slowly realizing that either something was grabbing the older man's attention or Pitch really didn't quite care much for pizza – Mary took them to an arcade, almost literally dragging them to it and saying _'I wanna play! Please please please Mister Pitch!'._

Not that she would even need to ask, Pitch was willing to bend over backwards to get her what she wanted when she wanted it and Jack couldn't help but smile at the sight of the older man almost being...fatherly to his little sister.

It was out of the ordinary for him to entrust someone with Mary's care outside of himself and Katherine – and the latter of which was indeed, quite out of the ordinary. But this seemed like it was befitting and _supposed _to happen, like Pitch was actually meant to be a father. As he saw Pitch entertaining Mary at a skee-ball lane and resisted the urge to get out his phone and take pictures of the event because _dear god was it adorable_, he faintly wondered if Pitch had any younger siblings he cared about or for in his life.

_'I have so much to learn...'_ Jack whispered quietly to himself in wonder as he gazed at Pitch helping Mary with her first throw. _'I really know almost nothing about his life and his family but I can't help but trust him with mine...'_ He stepped just a little closer with a playful grin tugging at his lips.

"Be careful Mary – not too hard or it'll just bounce off." Pitch advised quietly, handing her the ball before she turned to the lane and stared at it with a competitive look of challenge on her face. _'A bit too serious though, for a child...'_ He smiled thoughtfully as she took her first throw...and missed by a mile. _'Oh well..'_

He knelt down next to her and gazed at her face, missing the flash of white hair in his vision behind her. "Remember...Practice makes perfect. Keep trying." He tried to hand her another ball but it was snatched right from his open palm – he quickly looked up to see his white-haired lover's mischievous grin, throwing the ball up into the air before catching it and then casually rolling straight between them, up the lane and into the highest scoring slot.

"And remember that no matter what Mary, I'm gonna make sure to help you out O.K.?" Jack said, rising from his throw, feeling like a pure bad-ass and ignoring the little voice in the back of his head telling him how _'cliché'_ that was.

Mary looked up at him in wonder before grabbing up another ball and trying again. He took this precious opportunity that he decided could not simply be _wasted_ to walk off like a bad-ass with a wide grin on his face before noticing the Time Crisis 3 arcade booth sitting mere feet away – then he found himself clamouring over to Pitch and begging for tokens to play.

"Pitch – I didn't even know they _made _a TC3. _Gimmie_." He said sharply, making a failed grab for the small brown paper bag that his older lover simply moved out of the way with an unconcerned look on his face.

"Jack honestly, you should let Mary play some more games before you start stealing all the coins."

"Do not _'Jack honestly'_ me. TC3 is calling my _name _right now. Hand me over-" He reached for it again with a snatching motion and nearly fell over himself when he missed.

"No." Pitch said, now keeping the tokens as far away from Jack as possible.

"Pitch, man, _please?!_" Jack whined in need as he leaned forward, stretching his entire body to the brink to get the bag from his hands – frowning inwardly at how stupid he must've looked when Mary giggled aloud at them.

"For the last time _no_." He spoke sternly and gently shoved the young Frost backwards away from the object of his desires.

Jack let out a 'hmph' and stalked away in ire, lurking in the shadows and staying away from Pitch to the point where the older thought that he may have _actually _insulted him...

Until the young teen came stalking back again with his signature impish grin on his face, brewing an obvious scheme for his tokens. _'This child...so full of himself and his plans.'_ Pitch admired his youth and excitement, his love of mischief-making and his obvious bravado – they were the things that made enjoy Jack, they made up his personality, regardless of how annoyed he acted in response to them.

"I know why you won't let me play Time Crisis." He said in a matter of factly way that spoke of his plot loudly and clearly.

"Oh really? Well then do share."

"It's because your scared that I'll beat you." Jack folded his arms and grinned, the sound of Mary's giggling from her at last getting something above a '25' in a single ball playing like music in the background.

"Oh _please _Frost." Pitch chuckled, making sure to keep the bag away from Jack lest he surprise him. "You and I both know that I can _destroy _you at...probably anything in here really." He confidently made a sweeping motion over the floor of the arcade, practically inviting Jack to continue.

"Oh? Okay then. I challenge you to a match - no resets or revivals. Highest score wins." Jack _knew _he could win this – he spent more time playing Time Crisis on a computer emulator then he cared to admit.

"Fine then – Mary, stay here and don't move from this spot. Your brother needs to be taught a lesson." Pitch at last rose from his seat near where the brown haired Frost daughter was standing, scarcely hearing the gray-skinned man's words as she focused on perfecting her skee-ball skills. He came to stand next to Jack and took a quick look at the game, keeping the tokens in his back pocket.

Shoot bad guys.

_'Easy enough' _He figured. "So Jack, are we putting anything on the line?"

"Like the last challenge which you, by the way, _lost_?" He chuckled and picked up the fake bright orange gun that was apparently the controller for the game. Pitch grabbed the blue one and turned it around in his hand, admiring the oversized piece of plastic in a childish way – it was nothing like a real gun...despite his shifted focus he could still hear his love in the background, still speaking. "Do you really want to even do this again? I mean, haven't you embarrassed yourself enough already with these bets?"

"May I remind you that you won by _three seconds_?" Pitch raised his eyebrow at Jack, his own sense of competition rising to meet his. He _enjoyed _Jack's bravado but not when it was so obviously beyond itself and what the young teen was physically capable of. "And only because I got lazy and didn't pick a better hiding spot."

"Yeah O.K." Jack waves Pitch's excuses away with a wide grin. "Same bet as last time? A full hour?"

"Hmmm...you're on boy, and may I say..." He swooped in close before Jack could react and whispered into his ear with a tantalizing purr of excitement. "You're also _mine_." He quickly lashed out with his tongue, brushing it delicately against the sensitive shell of the younger man's ear and then reeling himself back to his spot to enjoy the site of Jack's arousal showing obviously through his eyes and face.

Resisting the urge to run his fingers through the wispy, soft strands of snow white hair that seemed to almost be calling his name he took a firm grip on the gun with one hand and handing Jack the appropriate amount of tokens with the other. "Ready when you are, dear." That was both him pre-competition berating Jack and reminding him of their relationship, they made have been in public but that didn't mean he was about to let that stop him from loving him.

After collecting his bearings – the shock of feeling Pitch's tongue work it's way up his earlobe making him want to illicit a loud scream and get it on on the floor of the _public _arcade that had _children _running around in it – Jack gladly inserted the tokens and started the game, still confident in his victory.

Until about three minutes in when he and Pitch were neck and neck, the gray-skinned man shooting like a pro and Jack just struggling to keep up – he swore under his breath in aggravation before letting his eyes flash to Pitch's face, not marred with the strain of competition but completely immersed in the game. _'Fuck_._'_

At last, another annoying and poorly rendered cut-scene came on – they were within one thousand points of each other and for that Jack was grateful. He took a moment of respite, using it to glance over at Mary to ensure she was safe and then looking in the opposite direction...

The game had started but Jack could swear that he saw a familiar face among the group of teenagers that were located across the room, none of them looking at him with the stand-alone exception of his old best-friend.

Jamie.

Standing still right in the middle of the group and staring straight at him with unreadable, dark eyes that Jack wanted to question – he wanted to scream to him but he couldn't find the air in his lungs to. Something was different, something was _off_, but he couldn't do anything about it...he could only gaze as if mesmerized by a spell or evil power. His mouth opened to try and tell his friend something but he could only gape like a fish as Jamie pointed towards him with a grin, before pointing at Pitch and making a hand sign of some sort, with both his hands pointing towards Pitch with certain fingers extended before walking off as if he had finished planned business.

_'What? Where's he going?!' _Jack stepped forward to try and stop him before Pitch placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him to get his attention.

"Jack..."

"What?!" He turned around hastily, not wanting to be interrupted before seeing the screen – it was game over and Pitch had over triple his own points_ god-dammit_.

"I win." A sheepish grin of victory erased the worries of Jamie from his mind – he didn't have _time _to worry about him.

"I was looking at something else Pitch, do-over!" He explained with the words spilling tactlessly from his lips as he realized his current predicament – it wasn't the fact that he was going to be subjected to whatever Pitch had in mind for an hour that frightened or annoyed him, in fact that was probably the _best _thing about losing – but rather, it was the fact that he _lost_.

"No no no little Frost, I've already won." He gestured to the screen with a delighted and pleased look on his face before placing the plastic controller back into its fake holster on the machine, walking away and returning to Mary who was still viciously trying to score a _'100'_. Jack begrudgingly placed the toy back into it's slot and followed his older lover with a curious look on his face, upset that he failed to keep his attention focused on the game but more concerned with what Pitch was going to do to him...

Would he _finally _tear away his virginity and make him his? Oh that was an exciting thought to say the least. He licked his lips and before biting down on the bottom one in anticipation, already visualizing Pitch thrusting powerfully into him and making him make noises that he would never make in any other situation...

A light brush of the shoulder had him rising from his thoughts. "Out of the gutter." Pitch whispered before checking his silver watch with a look of interest. "Almost three. My goodness how time flies..." He remarked quietly as Mary looked up at Pitch.

"I'm bored..."

"Mastered your game already?" Slightly snarky with a questioning eyebrow raise but Jack knew there was no intentional stabbing harm behind it.

"No..." Mary clearly wasn't offended by Pitch's accidentally snide sounding comment, although whether or not she had actually sensed it was a question in and of itself. "But I wanna do something else..."

"Well then..." Pitch let out a sound of contemplation, thinking of what else they could do to stay out just a little longer, stay away just a tiny bit more. "If your brother is permitting of it I could take you both to the nearby movie theater for a film before we head home."

"Can we Jack?" Mary tackle hugged Jack's legs and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, swaying his decision...not that it needed much swaying to begin with.

"Of course!" He surrendered a hopeless fight against Mary's wishes – already weakened by the mere fact that he had no reason to forbid it and found himself whisked away back to the outside, rainy world – sheltered under an umbrella with his boyfriend and their younger female guest who seemed to currently be on a trip that went above cloud nine.

"I wanna go see an action movie," Mary skipped along with them as they made their way back towards the awaiting black Nissan. "And get lots of salty popcorn!" her voice was in an adorable sing-song like tune and they piled back into the car, with Mary giggling and laughing, Pitch seemingly lost in thought with his face taking on all the expression of Kristen Stewart imitating a brick wall and Jack thinking deeply about their current situation.

_'So what? Are we parents now? Are we literally raising Mary together?' _He leaned against his car door as they began their drive to the theatre. _'So wait, does that make me the mother?' _He took a glance at Mary from the corner of his eye, part of him feeling satisfied that she was happy while the rest of him wallowed in confusion and reason. _'So would that make Pitch is my little sister's father? No – ew. That's weird. No...' _A shake of his head ended with his eyes focused on the steam clouded car window pane and he traced snowflake patterns with the tips of his fingers. He was just glad to be away from Katherine and William at this point but for how long?

How long could they keep up this charade before people would start having questions and needing answers? Before things went from tentatively stable to worryingly explosive, with so many eyes focused on them at once? Before people would begin interrogating Pitch? Before they were found out.

As if playing out like a movie in his mind he could see Pitch get dragged out of his house by police, arrested for their forbidden relationship – everyone looking at him like he was some damaged toy that needed fixing and everyone glancing at Pitch as if he was some disgusting pedophile. Burn him at the stake, curse his name, he would be the talk of town for touching sweet, little, guiltless Jack Frost who never did anything wrong, who was an unwilling pawn in his game. _'No..._' he whispered in fear and terror, his entire body almost shaking with worry.

"Mr. Pitch." Mary called from the opposite seat and raised her hand as if she was in a classroom, earning Jack's attention in record time. "I've got a question."

"Yes Mary?" Pitch responded as they turned a gentle corner, the rain hitting the window pane slightly harder, unrelenting in its failing assault against the stalwart wind-shield and car frame.

"What do you do for a living?" A high pitched innocent, inquisitive voice that begged for answer. "I'm just a little curious is all..."

"Hmmm..." Pitch's eyebrows raised in thought and he wore the slightest of Cheshire cat grins. "How to answer that, because what I do is actually quite complicated..."

"Great!" Jack exclaimed, more wanting to be part of the conversation because of his lack of things to do rather then any need or want to be. He wanted the distraction that the talking and questions would bring rather then the discussion itself. "Now I'm curious..."

"Well, my job is...I'm a psychologist." Pitch shrugged, he was searching for an easier word then that but couldn't come up with much else.

"Sighcoliogeest..." Both Pitch and Jack chuckled lightly at her response, her lack of ability to pronounce it being surprisingly amusing. "What's that?"

"_Psychologist_ Mary." Jack corrected her sweetly, rubbing his hands together in thought and thinking back to the books he saw in Pitch's house. "Psychologists are kind of like doctors, only they make you feel better by listening to your problems." He tried to explain it as simply as he possibly could to her.

A small laugh from the driver's seat and Jack looked to Pitch in the driver's rear view mirror with a raised eyebrow. "Not quite Frost." Pitch teased. "Or at least not quite for me."

"What's different?"

"Hmmm...I'm not that interested in telling you." Jack could faintly gaze at his bemused smile in the side view mirror of the car and smiled lightly. "Maybe you can make it interesting for me."

Jack let a stretch of time come between them, wanting to build up the impedance to say no and reject the offer...but within seconds he couldn't resist any-more, his need to know surpassing his want for competition. He licked his lips thoughtfully and lowered his head, thinking about whether or not he wants to press and try and get more information- then decided 'why not'? Because he knew that it would just lead to more hot, incredible future sex anyway.

He faintly thinks back to the criminal books in Pitch's house – a part of him swears that that's not the correct answer and so he tries to move forward in time, to the living room. To the vicious stares and clash that occurred between his boyfriend and William... but he can't remember most if not all of what was said. _'Damn it.'_ He swears. "Alright then." He says defiantly against his sense of playful rivalry. "I accept. Your terms or mine?"

"Mine of course." Pitch grins wide and clear in the mirror and certain parts of Jack feel as if he just agreed to a battle he could never win. "You have until the end of the night to guess, or until you guess incorrectly three times...if I win then you must do whatever I say for an hour, the previous bet will be added to this bet – you win this one and that one gets overturned, you lose and it still stands."

"Fair enough." Jack mumbled quietly, rubbing his hands together again and licking his lips, still thinking about those books. "...Forensic Psychology?" Jack didn't want to just assume the normal personalities of people in criminal related professions but Pitch looked dark, broody and emotionally downcast – the type that he would _assume _took those types of jobs.

From the mirror the slightest of smiles aimed at him before a gentle voice almost teasingly cooed to him. "We're here." Pitch clicked the safety belt from his car seat loose after parking the car directly outside the megaplex before looking back to his icy-haired young lover with the happiness of victory dancing in his eyes. "...and that's one try gone Frost."

"Ooooo big brother's gonna lose." Mary said as if tattling on him before sticking her tongue out at Jack and undoing her own belt with young, wise hands.

"No I won't." He spoke resolutely, proud of his ability to win. He _knew _he could get it. "I already know it's something that's involved with criminal interaction in some way from the books at your house." A snide grin before he turned to face his younger sister, who staring at him confused. "How bad people think about other people." Her lips formed an 'O' and she nodded in understanding.

Then he looked to see Pitch in the rear view mirror and the grin melted depressingly at the sight of a wide ear to ear smile gracing his face. "Oh Jack...that's upsetting...you don't remember when I told you that those were my friend's books hmm?"

_'Fuck_' "No-" He whispered under his breath with a sigh of irritation.

"Because they were. I was forced to hold them for a less then polite 'friend'." Looked to Jack with a knowing smile, knowing that Jack can tell what exact type of person he's talking about before he gets out of the car to help Mary out. "Although...I can tell you that me and him work together if that's any indication." Secretly Pitch needed to bite down on his tongue to stop himself from smiling widely, using the pain to pull himself away from the urge to grin.

"Great..." A small swallow, he realized he was already in over his head and ran his tongue over all of his teeth in thought. "So I have to deduce it Sherlock Holmes style?"

"Well yes." He shrugged lightly, paying Jack no mind at this point. "But I'd much prefer you guess. I have so many marvelous plans." Pitch unbuckled Mary's seat belt with a phantom grin held back by the faintest ache of his own sharp teeth on his tongue.

Mary gazed up at him curiously and he let a small fraction of a smirk show while hoping the young child actually didn't catch that. "Like what?" Mary whispered up to him with her eyes blown wide in a mix of wonder and interest and Pitch relaxed just a fraction, the young girl had no idea what he was implying.

He helped the young girl exit the vehicle with a friendly smile, half caused by the fact that Mary was just so sweet and innocent and the other half being his cheerful confidence in his upcoming win, sitting steady on his lips. "Nothing young little ones like you can know about..." Pitch whispered back with a grin that was tainted with a hint of mischief and cunning.

Mary gawked at him as if he had just told her the secret to life before her face became surprisingly serious – as serious and threatening as a child's face could look when looking at someone like Pitch. She mouthed quietly, almost too fast and faint for the older man to see. _'Adult stuffs'. _Pitch bit the organ in his mouth again. Maybe she _did _know what he was teasing about. He wouldn't try to cover it up and accidentally say something that he shouldn't but would much rather have Mary just think 'adult stuff' and leave it at that.

A tiny, thin finger pointed its way toward him like a command from an ant and he had to hold his hands behind his back to stop him from patting her hair in admiration. "Remember: I'll be under your bed if you make him cry." She threatened protectively for her big brother, mouth formed into a tiny pout that skidded the line of melting Pitch's heart.

_'Jack is so lucky to have such a good little sister.' _He made sure his umbrella covered the both of them and gently closed the door behind the younger frost. "I remember." A gentle nod before he turned to see a flash of familiar snow-spiked hair at the edge of his vision and skated his tongue across his lips in anticipation – he knew he had said that his area of psychology was Clinical but it didn't seem like Jack had actually _remembered _that. Delightful. The game was his.

"Something Spongebob related going on that I'm not allowed to be part of?" Jack welcomed himself into the conversation, looking the slightest bit drenched and hurrying under the umbrella for shelter, having unbuckled himself and gotten out the opposite side without his own umbrella to protect him – it slipped his mind to bring it.

"Not really..." He grabbed Mary's hand with his own free one and began the slow and casual walk towards the inside of the movie theater. "Right Mary?" He gently shook Mary's hand and she giggled knowingly.

"Yeah we weren't sayin' nothin'." Mary poked her petite tongue out at Jack in a tease before looking up at Pitch with admiration. Jack playfully and over-exaggeratedly rolled his eyes and spoke in a nipping tone that held no malice in it.

"Alright, sure. I'll buy that..."

"Any more guesses Frost?"

"Hmmm." Jack bit the inside of his cheek and tried his best to think and reason – he knew it had to do something with _criminals. _He tried to think of all the other possible things that Pitch could possibly do for a living and narrow it down..."...Criminal?"

The grin grew in strength and visibility – Jack knew what Pitch was going to say almost before he did. "Wrong again. Looks like I've got an hour of you to myself."

"But!" Mary shouts, jumping in place before converting to a skip as they approached the entrance. "He still has one guess left!"

"Think he can make it Mary?" A gentle shake of Mary's hand and he received a doubting pout of uncertainty.

"I don't think so..." She whispered, as if it was an impossibility for him to actually win. Her voice sounded almost downcast and upset in it's tone. Pitch realized there that Mary thought her brother infallible and righteous – such a sweet little sister indeed.

"I think he might make it...he's a smart guy." Jack notices the way Pitch's face scrunches before he says that and his lips turn downwards very softly in a frown, but doesn't vocalize anything of it.

"Thank you!" Jack laughs despite himself and pushes open the door for the two of them as they enter the movie theater at last. "At least Pitch is on my side! Not so sure about you though." He punctuated his sentence with a small ruffle of Mary's hair, he was upset but he wasn't upset with his sibling – he was angry because he was _losing_.

"We're here at the movie theater." Jack refuses to make a joke about how Pitch is stating obvious fact, biting back his hatred of falling the competition and instead focusing on searching for what Mary wanted to watch. "I'm not even sure if they're playing what Mary wants to see though..."

"I'm sure we'll find it..." He says without thinking before he notices someone across the theatre's opening area giving him a powerful glare of spite, noticing the familiar sight of his dirty brown hair only after a few moments of staring. _'Jamie!' _It was all clear and in the open now. His best friend – or perhaps ex-best friend – appeared to be..._stalking _him. He tried to communicate without speaking, already knowing that through the crowd of people flocking in with them that spoke loudly and clearly over them that Jamie wouldn't hear him. He resorted to smiling brightly and compassionately, like he was beckoning Jamie to come to him – as best as he could anyway.

He saw the look on Jamie's face go from what appeared to be anger to a look of shocking discovery and then to strange sort of saddened care in his eyes, as if he was looking at a kicked puppy. Jack wanted to convey that he wanted to understand him and why he was suddenly so upset by looking at him, but a strong tug on his hand pulled him away and shifted his attention.

"It's over heeeere!" Mary yells and pulls Pitch towards a hanging poster of a charming prince holding a sword, just about to continue thrusting from its sheathe and stab it forward towards the invisible camera, with numerous other characters surrounding him like a confused girl and a bunch of mythical animals that Jack could swear he saw before. Beneath the swordsman large font letter exclaimed the title: Epic.

"Well then that was simple enough. Shall we Frost?"

Jack tried to look back and see Jamie, find him amongst the crowd and rushing faces and people but he couldn't find a thing – Pitch noticed. "Problem Jack?" He was concerned...and they were already outside, enjoying themselves...Jack figured he had no right to ruin such an occasion and licked his lips, quickly making an excuse.

"Popcorn." Jack said before pulling the both of them in the opposite direction in a silent and false but very insistent demand for his movie treat. "And ummm..." He sucked his teeth, accepting the loss if it meant he could preserve the day's happiness. There was no reason to deliver any bad or potentially negative news that would put a weight on anyone's heart for the day – not yet. Not now. Not while Mary was bubbling over with happiness and they were getting their first real day out in so long. He wasted his final guess. "Counseling." It was the best guess it had in any case.

"Wow..." Pitch's lips formed into an 'O' and Jack let out a mental cheer of victory, thinking for a moment that he just killed two birds with one stone.

"I got it?" A cheerful grin.

Pitch took a deep breath inwards before letting a potentially pleased sound out, Jack was much more then just a little naïve. "No I'm just wondering what would be the best way to spend a whole hour...after I finish my work in Clinical Psychology." An obvious stab that also cured both his and Mary's curiosity.

It takes all of Jack's willpower not to shout a curse right then and there from his current terrible luck with Jamie and these god-damn_ bets _before he reached for his cellphone and put it on vibrate – he'd have trouble feeling it but he doubted he'd get any meaningful calls. "Alright then...let's go..."

–

Despite the _immense_ lack of attention to he paid to the animated flick, due to his dislike of theaters and the crowds and the disgustingly loud screens, the movie had been more or less entertaining – at least Pitch hoped so and believed such since the younger Frost waited until they had piled back into his car to fall asleep. Her head now lying peacefully against the car door with her mouth open just slightly, completely at peace. Beside her Jack reluctantly began to follow along, eyes drooping closed before the teen would shake himself back awake and look forwards only to nearly give into sleep and again and repeat the dance with his tired eyes.

As he drove smoothly across the drying pavement, still darkened in its greyish color from the rain but back to its normal level of friction that would allow him to drive without worry, he thought of how at peace and blissful the two children looked together. How often was it that they got out of the house with a place aside from school together? Must not have been that often...

He entered the residential area and felt a shiver of vile emotion overcome him, memories of William's horrendously spiteful and near-murderous gaze still burning painfully bright in his mind. Katherine's bruised cheek that might as well have been public abuse that due to Jack's promise he had to limit himself back from alerting any outside forces about...

And he was actually _taking them back there_?

He pulled the car over to the side of a quiet street, not a single living or at least visible man, woman or child in sight. He turned off the car engine and relaxed himself for a few moments, allowing the quiet to somehow spread like a long awaited and much needed refreshing breeze to his mind. Going out for a day was fun but Pitch would much rather be at home with a hot cup of tea and Jack curled up by his side, lightly hugging him just like before. With a pant of desperation that begged for the vision in his mind to take a physical form someday he allowed his hand relax from the driver's wheel and let them fall by his sides.

Jack had – probably for at least the past two to three years if one wished to be hopefully and nine if they wanted to be _realistic_ – been bending over backwards to keep the family together and hold them there like super glue, raising Mary, dealing with William and keeping his grades within an acceptable place. But even when Pitch tried to place all his faith and trust in Jack he just couldn't see him being actually capable of keeping both him and Mary entirely safe in such an environment, William was too large and Katherine was far too weak.

It was hard to admit due to his obvious lack of tact but William actually put him in a tight spot between his sense of justice and his loyalty to his love – sure, he loved Jack but more then once he found himself wanting to dial Sandman and beg for some type of potent police intervention to get the Frost children _out of that home_!

But his loyalty and love would always win out over his own justice and he'd find himself hating himself for it – he didn't know what decision could even be considered the right one. Betray Jack to possibly save Jack or just watch the boy potentially destroy himself in trying to stop the destruction of his family?

He ran his tongue over his lips and took even, deep breaths as memories of September laggardly drove themselves to the forefront of his exhausted mind – _the very Earth seemed to shake underneath him and he tumbled over, the being next to him wasn't even existent any more, red splatters and blood __**oh dear lord so much**__ why?! __**WHY**__- _He doubled over with both hands clamped tight over his mouth and swallowed painfully hard repeatedly, taking so much of his own still burning hot bile back down that he didn't want to be reminded he even had a stomach. He wore the waves of nausea like a seasoned pro but still couldn't find a way to recompose himself until at last it ceased – two straight minutes of vomiting into his closed mind and having to shove it back without waking the small beings behind him.

Pitch decided that a celebratory brushing of his teeth would be in order after he took Jack and Mary back to his house to sleep – _and they would spend the night there_. He would be damned before he let them take two steps back into that god forsaken house! _'If I let you go back...' _He gazed up into the mirror, looking at the still sleeping faces of the younger two with a half-delighted half-morose grin on his face. '_It would be as if I killed you myself...'_

He started the car again and took the heavily wooded route to his own home, feeling happy he could tear them away from their reality for just a little bit longer. But the reality was that he was too emotionally delicate to do anything else – he didn't dare let them run to William, run back to that abuse and instability and unhappiness, he had too much of a heart, too much of a mind for children to actually do something so...cold.

He couldn't see why anyone would even do that in the first place – who on the Earth would actually push Mary and Jack into such a dreadful situation _again _after they finally found a way out through him? He felt almost righteous at the realization – like he was doing a good work for the two adolescents despite what the law may have had to say about it.

And in truth, the more of thought about it the more reasonable the answer seemed. He was doing something _good, _he assured himself. He was the good person here...even with his past and the murder he committed. This was something good.

And even if he had to put anything and everything at risk he gladly would just to protect them a tad bit more...

September would rage on inside of him, probably forever...he just had to keep on.

–

Fun fact: Literally the longest chapter in the series so far, at time of 6/23.

Fun fact 2: Epic is a William Joyce Work as well.

Fun fact 3: Update was slow because reaching climax (no pun intended) and I want to make it good (again, no pun intended).


	22. Bartholomew

_He couldn't see why anyone would even do that in the first place – who on the Earth would actually push Mary and Jack into such a dreadful situation again after they finally found a way out through him? He felt almost righteous at the realization – like he was doing a good work for the two adolescents despite what the law may have had to say about it._

_And in truth, the more of thought about it the more reasonable the answer seemed. He was doing something good, he assured himself. He was the good person here...even with his past and the murder he committed. This was something good. _

_And even if he had to put anything and everything at risk he gladly would just to protect them a tad bit more..._

_September would rage on inside of him, probably forever...he just had to keep on._

–

If it wasn't for the one in a million chance that Katherine was actually drunk enough not to care or be afraid but still partly lucid enough to notice his approach to the front of the house, William would've kicked the front door of the Frost home down in his exceptionally fiery rage. This was a normal, daily occurrence in the house to the point where Katherine would've wondered why she was sometimes afraid when William came in in a mood like this, storming around the house like someone kicked his puppy to death.

Instead of putting up some great fuss she noticed how William ignored her presence and immediately stormed and roared his way upstairs, calling Jack's name repeatedly and combined it with a few random expletives haphazardly sown together to create a sentence that frankly made no sense, even to her own drunken mind. She wasn't his target tonight, she could rest easy...and so she did. She stretched out of the couch and allowed herself to sleep off her intoxication while her husband proceeded to try and make hell for a person that wasn't even there.

William however, had a much more different plan in mind. "Who the fuck does that little _shit_ think he is?" He mumbled under his breath, striding into the room almost gracefully considering his level of intoxication. Jack brought some man into this house that flirted with his wife – _his, _she belonged to _him_, no one else – and let the ass-hole fucking upstage him. Just a quick glance told him that Jack wasn't around and that only served to stoke the bright red hot coals of his anger once more, he grit his teeth and glanced around. The buzz from the alcohol was draining out of him and he knew in the back of his mind that wouldn't be able to get more in time to stop his rage towards Jack even as he investigated the boy's living space.

He wanted a good reason to actually pummel the boy to death – he didn't _need _one, but it would prevent any sense of 'excessiveness' on his part coming from Katherine, not that she mattered at the moment. He threw Jack's items aside, looking over and under everything he owned until he came across something that he _knew _would have some incriminating evidence on it.

Jack's laptop.

He threw himself down onto Jack's bed with a grin, already knowing that _something _had to be on here, something of some importance and significance that would justify at least a damn good gut punch.

He booted it up and it automatically began a system restore – William wasn't stupid when it came to technology, especially when he was _sober _and he leaned back, already knowing that something was _certainly _on the small laptop that he could use to harm his son with. He sucked his teeth with impatience after just a few moments, realizing that it would take a long while before the computer would ever fully load and be ready for use so he placed it on the other edge of the bed.

"Fucker." He whispered with his very breath lined with hatred, malice and a barely controlled want to cause major physical harm, as if Pitch was still standing near him within range to hear and see everything William was doing. "Who the fuck does that littl-" William hissed and took a deep breath, it wasn't healthy to get this angry with no one anyone to take it out on. When Jack got home from where ever the fuck he was with 'Pitch' – _then..._

The sound of the computer finally starting up shook from his thoughts like a chiming bell and returned him to reality. He quickly snatched up the computer, turning off anything that came up on the screen that didn't look incriminating off – left only with a browser history to look though...

Until an alert that a document had been auto saved titled _'For Dad'_. Something akin to a wave of blazing anger mixed with offense went striking through him before he even clicked on the small icon. Jack was hiding something from him, something that William knew would undoubtedly be offensive and rude towards him...

He would kill the little brat – he would. He opened the file and grit his teeth, mentally reading it.

_Dear Dad,_

_I'm not putting any forethought into any of this so please bear with me, I'm rambling. But its only because I'm happy and proud of you. I can't believe that you actually **stopped **drinking this time, like for real. There's been so many times where you would say that you'd stop but come the next day you'd be wasted on the couch...me and Mary were usually so upset then, I'd have to keep Mary upstairs and away from you just to stop her from crying some days. Mom would get depressed too and sometimes wouldn't talk or feed us for days, but then I'd usually make Mary something to eat so its okay!_

_When you are sober, your the greatest Dad in the world. Other times not so much. But I'm not putting you down because of that; I know the William Frost that came before the drinking and I know you now during it – whatever hold that alcohol has on you its gotta be something extremely strong since I've never known you to be a man that needed to rely on something._

_I just wanted to say I'm so happy that you're finally getting back on track with your life and that your gonna be my father again. I love you Dad._

–

William found himself running his hands through his hair, bent over the side of the bed in _horror_ of the revelation he just discovered. When was Jack going to give this to him? When was the last time he was sober?...He couldn't even remember for the life of him.

When did Jack even get _old enough _to cook for him and Mary? Wasn't he still around that magic age of thirteen? Still obsessing over television superheroes like Batman and Superman and playing with action figures, thinking of his little sister as more of an annoyance rather then another human being – like all young boys did at that age?

Still shocked but stricken enough with surprise to be pulled rudely from the haze of drunken numbness William stumbled downstairs and shook Katherine awake, the older woman being less then pleased with her forced awakening but not allowing herself to complain aloud about it due to the potential of William's anger being unleashed on her again.

"Kat! Wake up, _damn..." _

"_What is it?!_" She spoke hastily, pushing herself up on the armrest of the couch to help herself up and somehow escape from what she mistook as William being upset towards her.

"How old is Jack?"

"He's...he's seventeen." The widening of William's eyes was not lost on her and she let out a noise of questioning. "What's wrong?" Her husband grabbed the sides of his head and shook like mad, biting down on his bottom lip like the world was ending around him.

"Kat...I'm...I'm sorry I've got- _damn it_." He got up and immediately strode into both his and Katherine's bed room – a plethora of beer, wine and other miscellaneous alcoholic drinks awaiting him, glancing at them he realized it was almost like his crime was staring him in the face and judging him. He tried thinking back again – he still thought Jack was _thirteen,_ he didn't have any memories of Jack's last birthday or the one before that. Wasn't sixteen supposed to be a big deal?! Why did it seem like he could remember it being just another day on the calendar?

Behind him Katherine was cautiously coming up the hall, drunkenness giving way to that _'normal'_ layer of fear that she routinely protectively covered herself in when William was present inside the home.

"Will, sweetie, what's wrong?" Her voice was light and sprayed with worry and care as she approached him, practically stepping on pins and needles. She wasn't prepared emotionally or physically when William suddenly turned to her, arms raised – she thought he was attacking her in anger. She flinched away powerfully by holding her arms up defensively as the rest of her body turned away, hoping to somehow dodge, deflect, block or otherwise just not get hurt by him again. She was terrified of the pain and the contact of his fist or open palm against her despite it growing so familiar within the past nine years.

So when it never happened she glanced up at her husband nervously, fearfully standing and practically shaking in her fright only to see not the face of an enraged William, but the sight of a man who was _broken_ wholly and entirely. The way his auburn eyes went wide as he looked her over and how he lightly shook his head in denial, lowering his arms back down to his sides guiltily, like he had committed a grand crime – the truth was that he did and was only just realizing it.

"S-sweetie?" Katherine called again, approaching William with her fear waning in that he was planning to harm her – something was wrong with Will, something he was dealing with himself and not blaming or hurting her for. As she approached him she could see something running down William's cheek and reached out instinctively, having had to help Mary end her tears in earlier years and as of late let Mary help _her _to cease her own had made her wise on when someone was grief stricken.

"_'Sweetie'_?" William repeated as Katherine took his chin into her hand and forced him – because Will did not wish to under any circumstances do this, to enter into this domain so shortly after waking up from the decade long cripplingly strong emotional coma of beer and hatred – gaze into her eyes as he spoke. "Don't_...just don't_. Please Kat." He begged her quietly, his voice breaking as he pleaded with the woman in front of him.

"Will..." She could see her husband reaching his emotional limits and ended her sentence early – nothing more needed to be said. _'Welcome back __home milove__.'_

–

They both lost track of time, lying together on the couch with Katherine resting horizontally with her back pressed up against the couch armrest located closest to the window and William half lying on her lap and half sitting on the floor in a sort of cheerless, post revelation sobriety that made Katherine question whether Will was actually still even sane despite the occasional short but meaningful back and forth dialogue between them that she supposed was a signal that he was still attached to reality in some way.

"I just...I can't even remember..." He took a deep breath inwards and the loving wife could hear his shaky intake of breath. She ran her fingers through his brown hair in response, wishing she could just remove the sadness from his very being but both of them knew it was impossible. All they could do now was try and reverse the damage, if it was still early enough to do so. "Did we...did we hold him a sixteenth birthday party?"

"Not really. He didn't want one." That was a partial truth – one William currently needed to hear. She tried to say it as cautiously as she could without making William feel any worse for the wear. The real truth was that Jack didn't want one – he still had bruises and sore places from the last time William had hit him and was in no real mood to spend any time around either of them.

"We should hold him a birthday party..." He whispered quietly, obviously not speaking to Katherine but rather now absorbed in his own little world, for once in such a long time he could see the damage he did and was doing to his own life, body, wife, even to his own _children_. He needed to thank Jack even though he was upset with himself as a man that his son who _he_ was naturally supposed to teach and guide as a father, had to show him the way. His letter woke him up to the horrors he was doing as he neglected his life in exchange for the bottom of a bottle. Greater embarrassment still, Jack had brought his new-found friend, Pitch who had showed him without realizing what a man who didn't need to _rely on anything _was like while he drunkenly went ahead with his ego and pride, trying to prove he was the greater man without realizing that two _'real men' _have no need to fight.

He _loathed _himself for having only seen this now, after such long periods of mistreatment and disgusting behavior on his part. He didn't even know how Katherine could look at him, with such unbreakable admiration and care shining in her eyes like stars, after he dared to put his hand on her with violent intent – regardless of how intoxicated he was. He glanced up at her with blank but puffy eyes that signaled that only recently had his tears ceased to fall. She looked back at him and then her grin appeared and widened almost instantaneously with her fingers quickly finding her way to the back of his head and rubbing with loving care.

He couldn't fathom why she was still here..."You deserve better." He said quietly as he turned his face away from her in shame and self hatred, unable to even look in her general direction and finding himself unworthy of glancing towards her. "I still can't believe I did what..._what I did_. I'm sorry..." He finished the sentence quicker then he believed he should have and chastised himself for it. He thought he sounded too insincere, too _rushed_ to be considered a full apology – he truly was sorry but he didn't feel like he could ever express how apologetic he really was and ever be believed as if the hole he dug himself into was too profoundly deep and too overflowing with his sins to ever be climbed out of.

Above him he heard Katherine let out a sound that didn't hold an emotion he could read. He wanted to look up at her and try and gauge whether or not he was believed but the pressure of having to face her was too great. He resigned himself to staring at the lifeless television across the room while Katherine spoke to him in a mild, mothering voice.

"It takes a great man to admit he's wrong. You did good..." She cooed sweetly to him, the sweet and cool pressure of her fingers on his neck relaxing him feebly.

"But I could do better." He spoke once again to no one but himself and seemed to curl up into a ball, arms wrapped around his knees and feeling weak – defenseless against the onslaught of the past ten years' acts. Too much crushing down on him like a wave, all at once from every angle. The soul cutting silence made it worse – Katherine's voice seemed to become his life line without him recognizing it. "Where's Jack?" An important question to ask that both enlightened him to the location of his son, who he felt he needed to see and speak to as soon as possible, and kept his wife's melodious voice coming.

"He and Pitch went out for the day, Mary went with them." She tried to forget her lack of self control in the consumption of William's alcohol and instead focused all of her attention on her husband right now, knowing that he needed her. "I could call him if you'd like...he's got his cellphone I believe."

William wanted to open his mouth but his emotions just rose beyond his ability to speak for the moment – wondering what he was going to say and how he should say it. What _could _possibly ever really say? Would some few simple words be enough to heal the undoubtedly painful, aching hurt that was more then likely seething deep inside of Jack for a full decade of abuse, neglect and overall mistreatment? _Could_ words ever be enough to accomplish anything between them and if not what could he possibly do to actually try and apologize to his son, if anything could 'fix' what went wrong? He nodded softly and speedily despite being completely unsure of his ability to keep himself composed. Would Jack pick up even? Or had both him and Katherine's consistent abuse at last driven him and Mary away from them forever in a way that a simple sorry couldn't fix?

Another shuddering breath left his nostrils and he found himself on the verge of breaking down again from the increasing press of emotional strain. He didn't want to lose his kids like this – any other way aside from death including having Child Protective Services take them away from him forever. He looked up at the ceiling as Katherine dialed Jack's number on the phone, he wasn't looking at her but the tell-tale repetitive beeping of the device served to tell him of her actions.

A few minutes went by while William tried to think of any possible way he could open his mouth and actually say _words_ to his son. What could he possibly ever say to him after this? After this realization and after these past years? _'I'm sorry'_?

"He isn't picking up –"Katherine bit her lip and tried to do damage control with that, knowing that anything that could make William believe that his son was fully cutting ties with him was _not good _for anyone at the moment. "Well its late and he did spend the night with Pitch before. His phone could just not be charged too."

"Sure." Will said, already knowing that that couldn't possibly be the case. If so they would be far too lucky, or perhaps unlucky, for normal and Jack's phone would be almost mystical in its miraculously bad timing.

"Will, its fine." Katherine insisted, running her slender fingers through his hair once again and feeling William's emotions practically dripping off of him – he didn't want or perhaps feel worthy of – her physical touch. But she knew she had to provide it within some capacity, the last thing she wanted was William to feel alone like she did twelve years ago.

"No, Kat its not." Will thrust his hands over his face and shook his head in disagreement and disbelief. "I put my _hands_ on you. Why are you even still-"

"With you?" His wife finished sweetly for him, a smile never leaving her lips. "Because I love you and...I want to fix everything. Leaving...just – it would feel like I abandoned my family Will." She removed her hand from his head and slunk down onto the floor next to her husband, now sitting in a way that mirrored his now balled up position.

"If I'm hurting you then what type of family am I?" He looked at her, sincerely questioning why she was even still in this house, talking to him after the crimes he committed against her. "What type of father am I if I _hurt _my own children?"

"You're a father that just made a few mistakes, Will." She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and tried to get a hug from him but Will wouldn't have it. He pushed his way out of the contact and got up, almost stumbling away as he reached the hallway that lead up to their alcohol filled room.

"I...I'm sorry." He says quietly, shaking his head in refusal and apologetic dismissal of their conversation with tears twinkling in his eyes. "I can't live like this – but I don't think I can live knowing what I _did_, what I _kept on_ doing all these years I...I'm sorry Katherine."

"No Will-" She gets up and jogs to his side, arms open as she comes to embrace him with caring arms that accept his breaking emotional form with patience and love. "You don't have to live with this...guilt on your shoulders." _I know the feeling_. "It's _alright,_ we can get past this together, you don't have to keep drinking your problems away-"

"I wouldn't _dare _drink anything alcoholic again." At times during his normal drunk moments of agitation his voice would carry the slightest hint of fury and hatred but now, his speaking now, carried with it a symphony of negative emotion. He didn't even want to _think _about getting drunk again lest he actually cause even more harm to his family.

"But this..." He pulls away from her embrace and keeps her at an arms length as he speaks – wanting her to understand every word her says, because he wants her to know that he means everything from the bottom of his heart. "I can't stay here." He shakes his head and sees Katherine for the first time begin to cry along with him, wetness running down her cheeks as he continues. "I caused too much damage here..." He throws glances at the nearby walls as if the 'damages' were visible holes and wreckage of the family home...to him it felt as if they really were. "It feels like...I'm suffocating in here - I just can't _be here_, with _you._"

"No, _no _William please listen-"

"Katherine...I love you." For whispers quietly and gazes into Katherine's watery eyes, taking heavy breaths to hold back the waves of feelings pummeling his defenses down. "You are...there are no words to describe the hell I put you through and it was rough and I'm not going to leave you without helping you with the kids and saying my apologies and my goodbyes but, this _household_ this place..." He glances around again, unconsciously biting down on his lip hoping temporary pain would prevent any more breakage on his part. "I can't be here anymore. I've done more then enough here." He sniffles lightly and lowers his head, refusing to let Katherine see him hit his threshold once again. "I can't _stay _here knowing you-"

"Then let's go out." She speaks suddenly with a wide, delighted smile on her face that betrays her still falling tears. "Let's go some place fancy and gaudy and forget things for the night."

"But the kids-"

"Mary's with Jack, she'll be fine." She nods and hugs William once more. "They know how to take care of themselves..."

"They shouldn't have to." His shoulders droop disconsolately as he speaks, not accepting that as a form of comfort but choosing to gladly escape the house for at least a short time and try and _forget_. Try and forget all the pain and sadness and suffering he caused his family inside these walls, all the anger and rage that _he _caused and was the primary creator of. "Katherine..." He holds her this time, smiling down at her with a grin that yanks, pulls and tugs at the heartstrings. "Let's go out then, so I can treat like you woman you deserve to be treated as."

* * *

Happy BlackIce Week - Celebratory double chapters, one today and the other on August 2nd :D

Funny story about this chapter and the next one though.

Neither include Pitch and/or Jack.

HA.


	23. Ex Lover's Lover

"_Then let's go out." She speaks suddenly with a wide, delighted smile on her face that betrays her still falling tears. "Let's go some place fancy and gaudy and forget things for the night." _

"_But the kids-"_

"_Mary's with Jack, she'll be fine." She nods and hugs William once more. "They know how to take care of themselves..." _

"_They shouldn't have to." His shoulders droop disconsolately as he speaks, not accepting that as a form of comfort but choosing to gladly escape the house for at least a short time and try and forget. Try and forget all the pain and sadness and suffering he caused his family inside these walls, all the anger and rage that he caused and was the primary creator of. "Katherine..." He holds her this time, smiling down at her with a grin that yanks, pulls and tugs at the heartstrings. "Let's go out then, so I can treat like you woman you deserve to be treated as."_

–

_Note: This chapter takes place directly after Chapter 20 on the same Sunday Night, while 20B took place s__imultaneously with 20._

–

The young, sweet hearted, honest and caring smaller sibling of the Benette house, Sophie Benette, lie strewn across the dusty brown sofa that had often served as her mattress in times of laziness or at very worst, heavy crisis. When her brother's fits of rage and anger and screams of pain, hurt and out of control want became too much for her to stay in the vicinity of and she needed to get away, she'd move from her room upstairs and down here.

For the past few days she had a small mission for herself, for her brother's sake...stalk Jack and Pitch. Always hidden in the background and always unseen, dismissed as some abysmal blond who was too busy with her social networking to pay attention to her surrounding environment she could easily blend in with the crowd while following Jack and Pitch. She grinned, feeling a little bit like a secret agent on a mission – it was exciting and dangerous and had a strange level of fun fantasy to it.

She remembered the first time she really saw them together, before she began taking them seriously, back when they seemed to 'first meet' at the cafe, taking a picture of the two sitting together out of a need for a picture of Jack – since Jamie's needs demanded it. She had been in earshot when they started speaking as well and it was all the more laughable when Jack and Pitch actually began ranting about the lack of awareness and intelligence held by the teens surrounding them. Especially while Sophie had spent a good ten minutes trying to capture the perfect shot of Jack's head – making herself much more then visible.

Unknowingly to the two lovebirds, she was always there, watching them with attentive eyes and a camera phone that would take pictures whenever possible of the two's increasingly passionate level of physical contact. In the cafe and near the high school, all the time, just blending in with the crowd of 'idiots' and snapping pictures for Jamie who in return, carried her burden.

And was currently right across from her, pacing around back and forth across the living room silently ranting and screaming in pure hate filled _anger _at the gray, shadowy and suspicious looking entity that had taken its place right next to Jack Frost – this 'Pitch' person. _'What type of fucking __name IS THAT EVEN?_' He was nearly pulling his hair out in his madness and had it not been for the fact that Sophie hated to see him like this while the appropriate day for him to take her place once more was approaching them at a speeding pace she would've found it almost comical.

Now it was just sad.

"Just fucking _tell _me!" He yells to Sophie, glaring at her phone with the blazing anger of someone hell-bent on getting revenge burning in his irises.

"Well, they made out at the cafe. Very touchy..." She refuse to look directly at him, already knowing the hurt he would feel and how much it would show through to her and cut her to pieces inside. "They couldn't even keep their hands off of each other...then they went out to what I guess was his car." She was absolutely confident that the sound that Jamie made after hearing that was not within what anyone alive would consider to be 'human' limits. It bounced off the walls in the silent living room like the screeching of hundreds of bats and she winced painfully in response, wanting to reach for her ears and cover them from the attack when it had already happened.

After that Jamie just stood there, shaking his head in shock and disgust at this new found information. They could've done _anything _in that car – No. Not they. Pitch could've done anything he liked to Jack in that car, with or without – probably without – his permission. Just the thought of that gray, walking talking sludge ball laying a single hand on what should rightfully and was _already and always _his just brought vomit to his mouth. His hands balled at his sides until he was in actual physical pain from the pressure of his own hand. How _dare _he even touch Jack? Even lay a single finger on him or look at him? He belonged to HIM– not some silver eating weirdo with a dumbass nam-

He exhaled quietly, allowing the stress to melt and drip off of him like water off a duck's back, and walked to the nearby steps that lead up to the second floor of the house. There was always a secret place he could hide away from the world in and completely absorb himself in all his wants and needs...

"I'm going to my shrine, don't bother me." He spoke blankly to the obedient girl who sunk back into the couch and stayed there in heavy thought and consideration of today's events...

Yes, Jamie acted as her protector when the time came but...this wasn't _healthy _for him. For anyone. With this thought still present at the forefront of her mind she called back out to her brother before he reached the top of the steps. "Should I keep a sharp eye on them?"

"Yes." There was more silent anger in that then Jamie meant to put there, but he couldn't help but allow some of it to leak out. "Report anything and everything back to me." Those were his last words before he slammed shut the door that gave entrance into his room and then moved to the closet, to his shrine and his safe place with a look of pure inner harmony overcoming him. He couldn't be _upset _when he was here...

But he could think, in fact he could consider things much more logically and rationalize much better sitting here then going any place else in the entire world. As he gazed at his personal place he decided he'd have Frost – that much was certain. He spent far too much time in his life carrying the burdens of other people, having to be – he elicited a cry of terror and horror from the sheer thoughts of what was to happen in the nearby future, what would undoubtedly occur before bit down on his lower lip and stopped himself short, he couldn't allow himself to think of that outside of when it was actually happening. The thought only strengthened him in his resolve...he wanted to stop receiving and start taking.

Why not start with the most gorgeous boy in town?

The one everyone loved and adored – at least from a safe distance. Jack probably thought that maybe people didn't like him anymore...fact of the matter was that Jamie took the opportunity to push them away at any given time after catching onto the fact that Jack was gay. Pippa and the others girls? Not a problem. Any man who he thought would even _touch _Jack was however, but they didn't last too long before Jamie came knocking at their door with a friendly smile and upon beginning a conversation would make it clear that Jack was _his_.

"And therein lies the problem..." Pitch was obviously from out of town, not located from the neighbourhood and probably lived somewhere outside of the hustle and bustle of what could loosely be described as the 'city' of Burgess. Jamie didn't have the chance to get to him and threaten him off beforehand, before anything near feelings manifested on either side. Now?

Jack was probably slowly becoming the unwitting pawn of this older man, doing everything he wanted just to receive a little bit of what he could consider love and appreciation. _'He must be love-starved...poor thing_.' Jamie thought quietly with an exhale. He would gamble again Pitch manipulating him into doing all sort of unsavory, disgusting things that would leave his Jack with all sorts of emotional scarring later on in life.

He shook his head depressingly – he had to get Jack away from Pitch even if it matter dragging him away. He didn't doubt that it would take struggle and effort to yank the young Frost away either – all that really mattered after he got a hold of Jack would be Pitch and what he would plan.

Whatever it was it wouldn't be any distinct measure of good.

"Don't worry Jack..." He whispered to his shrine, built and dedicated to his beloved with hundreds of pictures and snippets and items of his. A lost jacket of Jack's lay strewn across the table that served as a place of quiet worship while a few locks of hair were used as careful decoration. Against the sides of said table were large number of increasingly massive folders, books and boxes – all of them with hundreds of thousands of pictures of Jack all hailing from wherever he could steal them, snatch them from, have Sophie take in secret or otherwise obtain. The entire closet where the shrine was located smelled of incense and the faint hint of musk that heat often gave such closed in places.

This was his perfect resting place. He felt so at peace here...but he needed to get Jack _away _from this Pitch person before anything else happened between them...

"I'll save you."

* * *

Song is Ex Lover's Lover by Voltaire


	24. Just

Chapter 22 – Just by Radiohead

–

_He shook his head depressingly – he had to get Jack away from Pitch even if it matter dragging him away. He didn't doubt that it would take struggle and effort to yank the young Frost away either – all that really mattered after he got a hold of Jack would be Pitch and what he would plan._

_Whatever it was it wouldn't be any distinct measure of good._

"_Don't worry Jack..." He whispered to his shrine, built and dedicated to his beloved with hundreds of pictures and snippets and items of his. A lost jacket of Jack's lay strewn across the table that served as a place of quiet worship while a few locks of hair were used as careful decoration. Against the sides of said table were large number of increasingly massive folders, books and boxes – all of them with hundreds of thousands of pictures of Jack all hailing from wherever he could steal them, snatch them from, have Sophie take in secret or otherwise obtain. The entire closet where the shrine was located smelled of incense and the faint hint of musk that heat often gave such closed in places. _

_This was his perfect resting place. He felt so at peace here...but he needed to get Jack away from this Pitch person before anything else happened between them..._

"_I'll save you."_

–

When the warm morning sun touched Jack's dried and tired lips Pitch couldn't help but think he looked absolutely ravishing – the way it seemed to make his face glitter and glow in the sunlight in such a beautifully artistic way, how his breathing seemed to make the light shaft from the nearby window come alive and dance across his chest...

He tore his eyes away with much regret in his movement since he didn't want to look away and face reality, it was always crushing to feel the realistic world break through and tear from him his fantasy when he would much rather just keep looking and fantasizing about Jack. With not much else to do but wait until the children awakened he glanced towards his watch. The Frost children had slept over here last night and he wished for nothing more then to keep them here, away from the raging beast that undoubtedly still plagued their home with his venomous and toxic presence.

With quiet, careful steps he seemed to glide his way down the hallway and into a room. Its much smaller then his own room with just enough living space for a young child to reside in. With a hushed but large gulp of breath he refused to even allow himself to dwell on that fact as he cautiously pushed the door open just a tiny bit more to gaze inside and see Mary, wrapped up and tucked neatly into a superman-themed blanket.

Oh the memories...they no longer ached him so painfully when everything seemed to be so..._precious_ and redeeming. Instead of sharp, piercing stabs and slices to the heart they were now merely a dulling graze that left behind an alien and almost euphoric feeling of peace. He wasn't used to September being so...blissful.

Mary turned around with a frown settling on her sweet and youthful face, the sun disturbing and rousing her from her relaxing and peaceful dreams undoubtedly. He decided to standby, right outside the door in case of she awoke confused and scared – she was in a peace that she could not possibly ever recognize after all.

But oh the resemblance was not normal or within human limits. He wanted to rush in and hug her, try to speak to her and proclaim th-

'_**NO**_**.**_'_ He forced himself to stay still as the sheets continued to ruffle and Mary joined the world of the waking and conscious. He gazed through the crack between the door and its frame with a smile – the young girl rubbed her eyes and looked around in shock, but not fear. It was more a sense of amazement as her surroundings.

"Superman..." She glanced around the room in surprise, still rubbing the sleep from her youthful eyes. Pitch chose that precise moment to walk in and make his presence known.

"Good morning milady Mary." He spoke with a gentle quiet in his voice and respectfully bowed like a servant to a master – and really who would argue that he was indeed wrapped around Mary's pinkie finger and willing to do whatever he could for the little girl and her wants, her safety?

"Mister?...Pitch?" She squinted and yawned, stretching her body out as she did so and Pitch chuckled and nodded.

"Yes Mary?" He was enjoying just the minor act of saying her name, speaking to her, having conversations with her – he felt as if maybe September never happened and he could move on just a little bit...

She yawned again and wiped her eyes, surprise giving way to childish grogginess before she pulled the blankets back over herself and slipped back into bed. "A little more..." She whispered quietly from beneath the safety of the sheet and Pitch shook his head in mirth at her actions before deciding to go check up on Jack.

He turned and moved as quietly as a mouse through the hallway and he glanced back to his own bed where his lover sat up, awake and stretching his own waking limbs. Pitch stepped into the ever brightening room with a grin. "Good morning sunshine." His voice was low, quiet and peaceful as Jack glanced over to him with half lidded eyes – both he and Mary were clearly not morning people.

"Meh." Jack huffed in response and extended his arms forward, ahead of him while the tiny sounds of muscles loosening up and breaking through their tiredness sounded through his ears and his ears alone.

The older man leaned against the door frame with a grin playing and tugging at his lips. Why did Jack just look like he was _made _to be waking up from a good night's sleep in his bed? He allowed his perverted side a few precious moments of watching the tired teenager fully pull himself from the bedspread before getting to their first and most important matter of the day. "I suppose now would be a good time to ask what you'd like for breakfast?"

"Mmmm..." Jack considered as he shook a particularly clingy cover off of his bare foot and glanced around the room, quickly realizing he was sleeping in Pitch's bed..._again_. "I'm...basically okay with anythi-" He placed a single hand over his mouth as replayed the entirety of last night in his head and then he was on Pitch like a hound. "Where's Mary?!"

Pitch nearly jumped as Jack made his way round the bed with a level of urgency and concern that surprised him. His entire way of moving and his whole demeanor changed in the blink of an eye, his eyes seemed to sharpen and focus while he fully stood up as if every nerve ending of his body had already shaken off the sense-dulling drug of sleep. From surprise alone it took him a few moments to answer. "She's in the other room down the hall." He pointed the room's direction and stepped out of the way as Jack seemed to almost storm his way through.

Surely Jack didn't believe that he would _harm_ Mary? He wouldn't even hurt a hair on the little girl's head even if Jack wasn't so protective of her...then he remembered that Jack didn't know about September or what he went through...he probably never would. Maybe without the knowledge of what occurred his protectiveness had been mistranslated as something else, especially when Jack's bad history with 'father' figures – if he was to extremely far with such a stretch and call William that. He bit his lower lip and followed Jack, hoping that maybe it was just his parental instincts activating.

He stood outside the room and watched as Jack shook Mary back awake and made sure she was okay, asking her questions he couldn't quite hear and running his hands down her long hair, straightening it more and more with every pass.

"Sorry." Jack said, already knowing that his lover was stalking behind him as he carefully looked over his sister again – he wasn't used to not knowing where Mary was, especially when they were in a place that Jack had only visited once in the past before. He bit his lip and let out a tiny sigh before giving his younger sister a kiss on the forehead and a ruffling of her hair. "Just...got a little worried about Mary."

"It's fine..." He allowed himself a moment of relaxation while Jack silently tried to stomp out his sense of over-protectiveness for right now. It lead to a serene moment of quiet for the entire three person group – it wasn't unwelcome considering the circumstances, being out in the middle of what some could consider the woods in this early hour of morning. "So..." Pitch hesitantly cut the moment short for the sake of questioning Jack again. "Anything's good?"

It took Jack a few moments to fully understand what Pitch was saying. "Yeah...Mary what do you want for breakfast?"

"Ummm..." The child was still yet wiping her eyes. "Pancakes?"

"Pancakes it is then."

–

As things usually went with Pitch's cooking, the pancakes were absolutely divine and Mary even wanted seconds, which the complimented chef gladly provided with a great smile on his face that had Jack questioning the other man's sanity.

"Thanks for letting us stay the night." Jack said in an almost shameful tone of voice, one of his fingers slowly drawing invisible circles on the surface of the living room table. He hadn't meant to fall asleep in Pitch's _car_, of all places, and burden him with having to move both him and Mary inside of his house and provide beds for them. In fact, Pitch didn't even have to do that much – he could've just not taken them out to begin with.

Needless to say that Jack was extremely grateful...but couldn't show it because Mary was in the room. "Yeah, thanks!" Mary yelled to Pitch who was currently fussing about in the kitchen with the loud running water from the sink coming close to muffling the sound.

"It's no problem!" The oldest of three spoke with a high level of jocularity that was as clear as a bright morning day. Jack looked at Mary nervously and then looked back at the kitchen – why was Pitch in such a good mood? He hadn't remembered the man to be particularly broody or upset most of the time, in fact emotionally speaking Pitch was rather stoic a good majority of the time but still...this was a bit _much_. It was just a tiny bit too sudden and startling of a change.

The sound of the kitchen sink spitting out water died off abruptly and Pitch came striding out of the opposite room, rolling down his slightly wet sleeves and entering the room with a delighted bounce in his step that he didn't sense and paid no mind to. Jack opened his mouth to speak about the mysterious personality change but refused to allow words to come out into the open, instead leaving them abandoned in his throat as Pitch took his relaxed position on the couch and threw Jack a glance that he couldn't recognize before turning on the television.

He assumed it was one of pleasure considering that Pitch just seemed to be having a good day today for some alien reason. He didn't question it, figuring that it was either none of his business or would just make for un-needed conversation. His boyfriend was _happy_ he was here with his little sister was all.

He wanted to be closer to Pitch for now – the entirety of yesterday's last fleeting hours had been spent seated in an uncomfortable movie theater seats with his ass growing increasingly sore and numb from the lack of softness. He distracted himself from both the movie and the annoying feeling of his now sleeping bottom half becoming a tangle of prickles with the over-buttered popcorn that didn't even last half the film, which he paid no attention to as he proceeded to fall asleep from sheer boredom only to wake up and make the less then energetic stroll next to Mary, following Pitch, back to the car and proceed to fall asleep _again_ in his seat.

He decided that he needed to take many more days out if just that was enough to put him to sleep – he couldn't find it in him to complain though. It was a damn good night's sleep, the best he'd had in ages and most of all he woke up to Pitch smiling his ass off at him in the door way and knowing from questioning Mary that he was not the only one getting a good rest.

Jack felt at that moment as he sat precariously close to Pitch, with the other man's head almost lying on his lap, that he should thank him again for his unbelievable, unending kindness towards himself and his little sister. Pitch had no real obligation to be doing this, at least not one that Jack could visibly see aside from his romantic interest and even then he felt as if even if he didn't know Pitch he'd still be receiving his help.

He reached forward nervously to touch him, maybe run his fingers through his hair and show some type of loving physical contact but he pulled his hand back for a reason unbeknownst to him. He felt as if he just couldn't lay a single hand on Pitch right now, like he was giving off some luminous light that he couldn't dare ever hope to be near...why did he feel suddenly not _worthy_ of him? Like something would happen if he touched him?

Pushing past this looming fear of contact and feeling of unworthiness, he clenched his fist tight and tried again, almost thrusting his hand into Pitch's raven hair and grazing his fingers against his scalp. He could hear him release a sound of pleasure and then felt the increased weight of his head against his lap – Pitch coming down and relaxing himself on Jack's right leg with a mona-lisa smile.

It felt _right_ for him to be doing this, but wrong in a way that he couldn't find it in him to really begin to care for.

"Pitch..." he whispered his name quietly and looked down, just as well-rested golden eyes looked up to face him as well. They locked and Jack couldn't yank himself away or stop himself, the moment seemed too overwhelming and just too perfect. Being away from the horrible treatment of his parents and being actually..._ok_ for a long period of time for the first time in much too long a while...

They kissed. Jack moving down so that his lips just barely brushed against Pitch's own, only to be drawn deeper in as his horizontal lover pulled him in deeper and made it more passionate then he meant it to be. Lips meshing together and they both felt something just snap – something bordering on the supernatural and mystic, half in _need _and half in _lust. _All they knew was that they needed each other, in that moment...

Pitch rose from his seat and wrapped his arms around Jack's form, pulling him in and meshing their already bruised lips back together. Jack felt almost like he was being consumed inside by Pitch in some way, like his beau was taking something from him that he didn't before but it was _okay _to give it up to him and it was a beautiful feeling to do just that.

A familiar tongue poked at his lips for entrance that he gingerly gave with an obscenely loud and needy moan – he needed more of this? When was the last time their lips touched like this – he couldn't even remember all he knew was that it needed to happen more often, more and more needed to happen between right now between them – no clothing, panting, begging, _pleasure, __**Pitch**_-...

Wait...

Where was Mary?!

He yanked himself away from the kiss, pushing Pitch away from him with almost aggressive levels of emotion and glanced at a wide eyed Mary, staring at them in complete shock and Jack bit down on his lip so hard he drew blood...

Mary _knew_. _'Fucking DAMNIT' _Mary knew about their relationship and seen them do such _adult_ things – he was glad he was conscious enough to realize she was here. In a panic he got up, feeling as if his head was about to burst from embarrassment and stress – how was he going to explain that to her? Explain the complexity of what he and Pitch had, their plan, their ideas.

Pitch rose behind him, mouth opening in knowing before Jack whirled around and stopped him in a flash, breath heaving in and out of his chest.

"Pitch we need to leave, my parents are probably wondering where I am." Bullshit. He didn't want to leave, he just didn't want to continue facing both Mary and Pitch after what just happened – it was like she caught him committing a crime that he enjoyed, guilt welling up inside of him from allowing her to view such a thing. She was _too young_. He felt overwhelmed with his irresponsibility of letting Mary see what they were really like...

"Wait- Jack don't-" Cut off again from Jack walking past him to collect his own shoes, left thoughtfully by the doorway. He never even remembered taking them off and throwing them there and upon seeing how neat they looked he figured Pitch must've removed them for him...more embarrassment that he couldn't shake off.

"I'm sorry, thanks _so _much-" Feigned thanks, too sweet-sounding and overly gentle to be actually genuine. Pitch could tell and took a deep breath before grasping the bridge of his nose in annoyance and anger, any sense of a good mood was gone now. "Mary we're leaving." His voice was sped up and serious as Mary shook off her shock and walked towards him, throwing Pitch an almost pleading look out of the corner of her eye...

And that was all the older lover needed. Pitch grasped Jack's wrist and pulled him back, pulling him out of the room with a near-excessive amount of force while Mary looked on fearfully, standing near the door and wondering what to do as they stepped into the room that served as the path between the bedroom and kitchen. Jack repeatedly tried to shrug him off, escape the hold of Pitch but he couldn't – and could only tug backwards as roughly as he was physically capable of as his boyfriend dragged him back into the house against his will.

Pitch reached the middle of the room and made sure that he stood in the narrow opening between Jack and the exit.

Upon reaching what Pitch thought was significant enough distance he released Jack's arm – and the other swatted it backwards in spite from being grabbed so tightly and carefully stared at him with eyes that seemed to glare and beg for an answer to the force used. He considered apologizing for the sudden burst of physical power but decided apologies could wait for right now, now was the time for important discussion...

"Jack, for a moment could you _calm down_?" A true question that got a scoff returned in a less then polite answer – Jack clearly didn't appreciate the grasp. The infuriated Frost glanced over his wrist and hissed at Pitch, who tried to send an apologetic look but could never meet his face, Jack was refusing to face him.

"Figures you're no better." He whispered in rage as he caressed the possibly bruised wrist joint and glowered again, this time with a look of immense emotional hurt and powerfully obvious dissatisfaction. "Asshole." A quick mumble before he looked away again, up and around everywhere in the room before standing on his tip-toes, looking behind Pitch to check and see if Mary was okay.

She was holding onto the doorknob, mouth turned downward as she locked eyes with her brother. _'What do I do?'_ Pitch exerting violence over Jack could only remind the duo of one person – William. This wasn't a song and dance that they were unused to, though the surprise of the gray-skinned and previously rather generous man becoming violent upon their want to leave did blind-side them. It didn't matter; William had moments exactly like this one and just like in those random and difficult segments of time, Jack's entire position and actions were about securing Mary's safety.

He licked his lips and tried to think of a plan to get Mary out of here O.K...even if Mary could get away from Pitch and get that door open, they were still technically in the middle of nowhere with a car that neither of them could drive. Calling for help? Could he pull out his phone in time?

He lowered himself back to the ground and instead glanced at Pitch. "So what? You just yank me over here to stare at me?"

"Defensive. Great." A small sigh as Pitch leaned against one side of the entrance and rubbed his hands together. "Fine then. I'll work with that. Let's start it this way since you want to be the tough guy." Pitch couldn't locate the source of his anger but he blamed it more on Jack's actions, or more specifically the lack of tangible explanation behind them. "Why are you running off to run straight back into your abusive father's house?"

Jack laughed bitterly, in a nearly involuntary manner. "You just dragged me, rather violently mind you, into a room with you that I _clearly _didn't want to go to. Don't _fucking _lecture me about abuse and my actions." His voice grew in volume and then he toned himself back – getting Pitch upset would not work for him...he looked up to Pitch and yet all he could see was William...he took a breath in before releasing it through his nose.

He had to get away from this man.

"Jack I only dragged you back because you were making an impulsive decision, you weren't _thinking_, just like you aren't now." He tried to explain and drain the emotion and anger out of his voice but they still seeped in and upon reaching the end of his sentence Jack seemed heavily offended by his words.

"And so trying to suck my face off in front of my little sister wasn't an impulsive decision?" Jack said, eyes opening wide as he struggled to keep his hands by his side and not strike out at the man standing before him – he wasn't sure at this point whether he was looking at Kosmotis Pitchiner or William Frost.

And now it was Pitch's turn to laugh in a stiff way, looking away to the side and mumbling something that Frost could just make out as foreign sounding and weird, before turning back to "Don't try to turn that back on m-"

"Then don't try and say that you grabbed me because I wanted to _leave_."

"Leave and go _where _Jack?!" A chuckle hidden underneath the quickly emerging frustration of Jack's continued defensiveness but they both knew Pitch had a point: they were quite a ways away from the town and Pitch had the only way of transportation back.

In a stormy rage Jack let out an aggravated sigh and seethed with ire – this was a path they already traveled. "Does it matter? It's _my _choice. We already TALKED about you trying to limit my freedom when you told me I should 'do something for myself.'"

"It's your choice indeed – to take Mary back to your _insane_ father just like your _drunk mother_." He venomously hissed, already knowing that that might have been pushing it too far but needing to make his point known and clear.

Jack's jaw dropped and he stared at Pitch in shock – did he really just actually play that card against him? Comparing him to his mother like an insult?! "Don't you fucking _dare _talk about Katherine – you don't know my mother! You don't know what she's been through or what she's going through!" Jack's eyes were dripping with tears already. He really did love and appreciate Katherine for everything she did, because everything she did was all she really _could _do. "She's trying just as hard as I am to try and keep my family together-"

"What FAMILY?" Pitch finally full blown _screamed _at Jack and could see him flinch from volume alone, shrinking back and away from the taller, larger man in a fearful way that emotionally emboldened him.

"What _family _Frost?! You and your sister are all you've _really_ got here – why else do you cling to me? In fact, I asked you this once let me ask you it again." A slight sneer mixed with apprehensive knowing of already knowing the answer. "How many times has Katherine intervened in William beating you?" His face was set like stone as Jack heard the question and all anger gave way to realization and the beginnings of melancholy, stepping backwards as Pitch continuously stalked forward, slightly bent so that he and Jack were always face-to-face. He stood ever looming and made the younger feel smaller and so much more pathetic in comparison. "Answer me Jack!" His voice practically boomed in the younger man's ears and Jack's hands flew up to them to try and calm himself down.

"Shut _u-_"

"ANSWER the question!" He yelled again and saw Jack flinch once more before timidly and protectively curling up on himself, trying to keep himself away from the older as he answered.

"Not once..." His voice was breaking from the strain and he sniffled quietly, now standing near the entrance to the kitchen with every nerve in his body strangely incapable of calming down. Just moments ago they were in bliss and now suddenly they were fighting against one another – although it was closer to him defending himself as Pitch launched knives and daggers straight at his jugular.

"Precisely!" Pitch stood at his full height, as if admiring his work of making Jack secede in the battle to him, seeing that surrender bringing a sense of victory to him. "You can't just make stupid choices like that – taking Mary into such dangerous places."

The elder Frost realized at that moment what was going on and his eyes widened. "So this is about Mary-"

"Of course, its always been about Mary. Her safety, her security. I have to take care of her after all..." He spoke almost righteously, beaming with pride and happiness as he spoke her name. Too happily for Jack's sake.

"Pitch." He spat in disgust, pulling himself up to his own full height and staring the other man squarely in the eye. "She's _not your fucking daughter_. She's my _sister_. What decisions I make for her are _MY DECISIONS, _even if they just happened to involve you." Then, like he just absorbed the entirety of the argument he glared at Pitch again with renewed strength in his anger. "In fact, what happened to _us?_ Weren't we a couple before Mary, before you knew about my parents and her? Why are you so fucking focused on my little sister?" A hint of disgust translated quite well between them and Pitch's face twisted unpleasantly as he ran that sentence again through his mind.

"Wait...wait wait..." He shook his head repeatedly, staring at the ground next to his feet with his lips parted and his breath heavy in the air. "Are you suggesting I'm a _pedophile!?_"

"No." He pushed past the stunned Pitch and made his way towards his little sister, whose teary eyes mirrored his own. "But I am saying that I'm not letting you see my little sister anymore. Come on, we'll walk home-"

"NO_** Frost**_." A profound grunt of annoyance and Jack had only milliseconds to turn around and see Pitch's hand, tearing him away from the younger sibling and slamming him up against the nearby wall. Mary let out a shriek and was ignored by an enraged Pitchiner. "You are _not taking __**my daughter**__ ANYWHERE NEAR THAT MAN_." He spoke with imposing force while Jack squirmed uncomfortably, once again trying to free himself from the grip of his ire-filled beau.

The pure feeling of two Septembers raging through his system – he lost her ONCE, he refused to have to live through such bullshit AGAIN. He refused to just _watch her die_. No, the world wouldn't take her from him again, not again. Never again. He couldn't exist if he had to watch happiness slip from his fingertips once more because of a stupid decision – even if he had to threaten Jack to do it.

"She's...not..._your..__**DAUGHTER**__._" Jack yelled, thrusting his legs out to try and kick Pitch away and falling that, raising his hand to try and strike out at him- perhaps punch him in the face or neck but he was stopped by a more then capable palm and his hand was painfully pushed against the wall. Jack emitted a grunt of hurting, aching from his wrist from this repeated abuse.

"You will _not _strike me, much less _leave this house-" _A slight bump against his leg forced Pitch to look down and immediately pull away from Jack. Mary had weakly kicked him and was looking up at him with fearful eyes with uneven, terrified breaths leaving her...Pitch rapidly retreated backwards and released the other Frost while they both gazed at him with tear-stained eyes...

He reached behind his back and both children backed up, their terror shining in there eyes along with their fears. Pitch didn't bother with their feelings for now...he pulled a fifty out of his wallet and handed it over to Jack, who snatched it away after staring at it for an uncomfortably long amount of time. "Get a taxi...go someplace."

The two kids looked at each other before Jack nodded to Mary and turned towards the door, opening it quickly and almost rushing out with Mary at his side before a large hand grabbed him from behind again and forced him to look back up at the now seemingly repentant Pitch. "Don't go back to William." He tried not to let his emotions show, tried to keep them buried and hidden but oh _god _he didn't want to see something on the news about Jack and Mary being found beaten to death by William- god _no no no!_ "Go _anywhere _else. Just _not _back to William for my sake _please._" He pleaded, hoping that maybe he hadn't fucked things between himself and Jack up to the point where any attempt to beg to him would be ignored.

The young Frost gave him a long look before gazing to the side, no longer paying much attention to him. "I'll consider it."

Pitch tentatively nodded and then trailed his way backwards before nodding again, signaling it was okay to leave before turning his back on the Frost children. He only allowed himself to break down when the telltale opening and slamming of the door had told him that the pair had left his home.

–

Both Mary and Jack were still on edge, hearts sort of bouncing about in their chests like enraged rabbits as the less then polite taxi driver drove to the front of the house to pick them up. He grumbled something indiscernible about having to transport children around and while the younger let it slide – more from not understanding and therefore not caring then any measure of actual self-control – Jack had to reel himself in and remind himself that they needed to get somewhere else, not start a pointless fight...

On that note, his mind replayed the entirety of what had occurred within the home standing behind him before coming to an incomplete stand still. A strange mixture of conscious and asleep – a total case of emotional shock as they piled into the taxi and began their quiet ride back into the town, still shaking off the effects of the confrontation they had had.

Pitch had never put his hands on him before – never like that. It was a shock and he couldn't believe it...and then he immediately viewed him as hostile. With a pout he let his head fall into his crossed arms while Mary buckled herself into her own seat.

"Burgess High School." He said quickly in a robotic tone, still in a state of disbelief from the touch. Icy blue eyes gazed at the bruised wrist that was numbing itself now with ugly purple splotches drawing even more attention to its usually near-inhumanly bright surface. The high school was the last place he could think of that didn't...involve going home.

Or back to the cafe.

He released a grunt of unhappiness and rubbed his hands together, sniveling as quietly as he could without alerting his already distressed younger sister. She had seen enough of her brother breaking and cracking under pressure, under emotions and feelings and urges, for today. She needed him to be strong and steadfast like he was before he met Pitch...

In a half second for a flash of time he showed weakness as his mind reached the topic of Pitch again and a sneaky but truthful tear slipped through his defenses. He wiped it away before he thought it was seen and continued on in thought, making sure to keep his head down and his downcast face hidden by a halo created by his arms.

It was stupid of him to try and leave with Mary all of a sudden in the first place. His mother didn't call him and he certainly didn't want to go back to his father, not willingly anyway. He would need to be dragged back in a much rougher fashion then how Pitch dragged him- and then he let out an exasperated groan at his own lack of forethought before action. Pitch was right, he was being quick to leap and not looking beforehand...

What if Pitch hadn't MEANT to harm him?!

In which case it was still his fault for the fight and he completely put everything out of proportion, made the entire thing into one messy, unneeded, massive dramatic mess. _Sure_, Pitch may not have done the wisest of things with the grabbing and the _way _he caught Jack and pulled him back but in the end Jack knew his _reaction_ was the key point.

He should have been that strong and steadfast pillar that he was for Mary all of the time – he wished he couldn't show these sparse, spread out moments of weakness in such _critical _moments...he ruined everything between himself and Pitch didn't he? The older man wasn't going to come back to him, not now, not that he ruined everything between them in such a way in front of the girl that Pitch considered his _daughter_.

Then more of the heavy weight of guilt dropped onto his shoulders, more pain that hurt so badly it felt _physical_, more light tears that had to be stopped by the quickly growing soaked cloth of his jacket. Pitch had such a connection with Mary that he called her his _daughter_ and judging by the short and sweet times they spent together, talking and learning about one another, it was clear that Mary was beginning to see Pitch as a father figure...

Who was he to claim that he was trying to keep his family together and then turn right around to sever that important connection between Pitch and her, when Mary was already lacking a real father figure in her life? He certainly wasn't anywhere near fathering to Mary in comparison to his older lover since Pitch provided and entertained his sibling in a much different way then whatever Jack could have ever hoped to emulate. He even seemed smarter and more trained on the matter of actually caring for a child.

He ignored the wet, upsetting feeling on his cheeks and repeatedly ran the thumb of his left hand over his right as a sort of self comforting technique. But his mind couldn't help but go south, nothing felt _right. _He was _wrong _to freak out and suddenly begin flailing around, seeing Pitch as a threat to his safety when he was only trying to understand his lover's embarrassment.

_'He must be thinking what the fuck I was thinking about there...'_ His hands reached for his phone but never fully reached it. He didn't have the face to actually interact with Pitch right now...things needed to settle just a tiny bit– that much he knew. He tried to blink his tears away but more and more fell before he could really do anything about it...he prayed Mary didn't see.

Beside him Mary sat quietly, eyes trembling in worry. Were Mister Pitch and Jack not friends anymore? She thought that maybe they were be bestest buddies forever even when they kissed like mommy and daddy used to. She thought it was sweet and nice – Jack smiled more and seemed happier when he was around him and mister Pitch was so nice and took them out to the arcade and then to the movies...

She frowned and squeezed her eyes shut as tears prickled at the corners, she held them back with trained practice and grace. _'I'm tough...I'm a big girl and I don't have to cry.' _She whispered to herself, a sort of mantra that would help her out in certain situations – specifically the ones that involved the people who she loved getting into loud fights..._'Don't stay mad at mister Pitch big brother...'_ she sniffled quietly and wiped her face.

–

He stayed still for much longer then what was needed as he absorbed the consequences of what he just did and pounded the summary of his current affiliation status with Jack into his mind. It couldn't possibly stay lover or anything remotely close to a loving feeling – now it was something like 'Ex-boyfriend' or 'Potential Abuser'. He didn't doubt that Jack wanted nothing to do with his less then reasonable behavior...

He raised both hands to his face, covering his eyes and mouth from the suffocating emptiness of his home that pressed itself in around him, sucking in closer to him at jagged, harsh edges like he was a vacuum for pain. Morose sobs began to accumulate in his throat that he couldn't release without gagging on – despite being such good company to the misery that loved him so, he still would never be good at handling it.

The longer he sat there in his absorbing sadness, the more depressed he became...All the feelings of what this large, lonely home had felt like before Jack had come...they were coming back with a vengeance and an ever present knowing:_ Last time it was questionable._ _This time, beyond everything, this was_ your _fault._

He screamed into his palms with his anguish overwhelming him, too far deep in his unhappiness to be thankful that the surrounding area of his home was empty and filled with nothing but plant life and the occasional doe.

He saw that Jack had his right to be defensive, his right to question Pitch – what he had done was just as, if not more, irresponsibly impulsive as Jack's sudden want to leave the house and return to the hands of his abusers. Mary's look may have pressed him further then he would have normally gone but in the end, no matter what means of an excuse he tried to find within the four and suddenly bare, hollow feeling walls that surrounded him, he was just as at fault as Jack could ever be...if not more so.

He grabbed Jack. And not in a _friendly_ way either. He had forgotten in that moment that even if Jack had bravado and could pull himself away from what seemed to be the sadness of his situation he was _still_ an abused child.

Pitch's tear stained hands balled into fists and he pressed them into his own temple with heavy gasps and hiccups, heaving with thick waves of self focused anger. He raised his hands and brought them down crudely, pummeling his own temple without realizing and whispering to himself over and over again. _'Stupid, stupid, stupid...' _

Of _course _Jack would act like defensive and try to get away, try to escape. He lived in an abusive home - it would be second nature for him to move himself away from violence in order to escape it! Pitch knew that he had grabbed him in a violent way without seeing and measuring his physical strength over Jack's, just like his father would have. Worse it was in front of Mary – the person he loved most in the world, right next to Pitch... formerly. He basically had already even said that he would be _okay _with being abused, both physically and emotionally, in such a matter as long as Mary wasn't there to witness it! With a growl he painfully clawed at his own scalp, digging his nails in to the point of pain before letting out a dense exhale.

Jack must have already begun to _hate _him. _Despise _him, _loathe_ him. He licked his lips and let out a whimper that he couldn't hear before turning to the kitchen...maybe...?

Maybe a knife would do him some good? Help him bring just a hint of justice, righteousness to the fallen, to September? Maybe this was the thing he was supposed to do that night, two years ago when September first occurred? Everyone he truly began to love either separated from him or died anyway – why would that change now? What was he even expecting trying to get close to Jack?

Save him? Save _him? _

_'Please...' _The thought at the back of his mind, memories of September and all the things that followed bursting through to his psyche. _'You can't even save **yourself** half the time. Kosmotis Pitchiner has been with closer brushes with death then what could be comprehended by the human mind. Just let **go**.' _He stared around the room, his breath evening out as he shut off his logic and gave into the feeling, the depression, the _fear_. _'Whatever is left of that shell, that husk of a man...he died. That's why you tell everyone to call you Pitch. It's easier to accept that name...there's never been a child associated with it.'_

He opened the drawers and cabinets of his kitchen out by one, trying to find something suitable, something undeniably sharp and infallibly _lethal_, something that would make it so he didn't fuck up this time – the last two times were ruined by his own inability to get it done right. This time, he was sure. He needed to die.

With hands that keened through the storage places of where he would normally place his knives he ripped open the final possible location of his item in question and smiled a bittersweet smile – a butcher's knife. Perfect.

This would ensure that the deed was done correctly this time, after all – third times the charm. He tore it from its place of rest, ripping the shelf straight out of the counter and let silverware spill all about the floor with an ear-splitting cacophonous symphony that he paid no attention to. He got want he wanted.

With not a care in the world he leaned against the same counter and let himself slip down – admiring the moment. This is what he was _supposed _to be doing, the right way. God clearly didn't want him here and no man could ever find it in himself to stay by his side, not Jack, not Sandman, not any of his one-night lovers...even the young children who attached themselves to him had leeched off of him and left – and the two that had actually added something wondrous and beautiful to his life, the ones that he would cling to and give up his very soul to remain with for just a few seconds longer if need be, were being snatched away from his grasp.

He had nothing to live for...he took the knife and with single sweeping, emotionless movement that betrayed the conflicting feelings tumbling about in his skull he carved a slit into his opposite wrist. With glazing eyes he watched the blood drip down onto the tile floor, an unimpressed smile pressing onto his lips.

He gazed up to the doorway and shook his head with a half-crooked smile. "Hurry up...and let's finish this thing already."

Funfact: Lots of Radiohead in my titles now...


	25. I Wanna Go Back

Chapter 23 – I Wanna Go Back by Onra.

Note: Keep in mind it's still Sunday.

–

_With hands that keened through the storage places of where he would normally place his knives he ripped open the final possible location of his item in question and smiled a bittersweet smile – a butcher's knife. Perfect._

_This would ensure that the deed was done correctly this time, after all – third times the charm. He tore it from its place of rest, ripping the shelf straight out of the counter and let silverware spill all about the floor with an ear-splitting cacophonous symphony that he paid no attention to. He got want he wanted. _

_With not a care in the world he leaned against the same counter and let himself slip down – admiring the moment. This is what he was supposed to be doing, the right way. God clearly didn't want him here and no man could ever find it in himself to stay by his side, not Jack, not Sandman, not any of his one-night lovers...even the young children who attached themselves to him had leeched off of him and left – and the two that had actually added something wondrous and beautiful to his life, the ones that he would cling to and give up his very soul to remain with for just a few seconds longer if need be, were being snatched away from his grasp._

_He had nothing to live for...he took the knife and with single sweeping, emotionless movement that betrayed the conflicting feelings tumbling about in his skull he carved a slit into his opposite wrist. With glazing eyes he watched the blood drip down onto the tile floor, an unimpressed smile pressing onto his lips. _

_He gazed up to the doorway and shook his head with a crooked smile. "Hurry up...and let's finish this thing already."_

* * *

The less then speedy taxi came to a slow stop in from of Burgess's local high school and momentarily shook both Jack and Mary from their deep, emotional reveries of their relationships with and involving Pitch. Jack took the moment to swallow and dig into his pocket, extracting the money that his...beau, gave him. That's what he was right?

"How much?" Jack asked before showing the taxi driver the bill – already knowing better. But apparently even with that little trick this man still wanted to be the raging dickwad of the day to Jack.

"Forty bucks." Normally, due to the facts that Jack was both emotionally concerned with someone else's well being at the moment, that the money provided was not his and that he frankly didn't know or care about the taxi fares around here, he'd just give over the fifty bill. But then the driver began to talk out of his ass about 'Children costing extra' and Jack just wanted to flip him the bird right then and there.

"Just take the fifty and shut up." He quickly finished for him, handing over the bill with a provoked thrust in the man's general direction – he could see the distasteful and arrogant smile on the stranger's face as he took the bill and gave Jack a ten in return. _'At least the fucker still knows basic __mathematics.__'_ He thought, snatching the ten out of the cab driver's hand and promptly evacuating the vehicle with Mary in tow and secretly flipping the man the bird as he drove off.

After examining his surroundings he raised his arm and put it across his face, biting into the fabric and releasing an angered stream of profanities that were muffled out. The man hadn't even taken them to the correct fucking place, they were still two blocks from the school!

Mary looked up at him concerned and Jack shut his eyes tightly – just stealing a glance at her brought up bad memories of actions done this morning, he frowned slightly before remembering that Mary would be sad if he showed any more signs of discomfort. He smiled wistfully instead and took her by the hand, forcing himself to seem much happier then he felt at the moment.

"Don't worry about me Mary, Pitch and I-" He licked his lips for stall as he tried to find an answer to the insanity that took place earlier and let out a short exhale – believing himself unable to find a really suitable answer and just settled for what he could. "We're just having a little trouble right now...we'll be _fine_." He suppressed the want to say, '_Bullshit'_ and instead began the walk towards the high-school with no real tactic or reason behind the action...just walking and thinking about Pitch.

He knew eventually he would have to tell his young sister about the relationship he and Pitch really had but he had no idea how to go about It or where to start. Should he start telling her about it now or tell her to wait until she was older like most parents seemed to do?

Without thinking he turned the corner and came to a rough stop, bumping directly into an old, familiar face despite Mary's unheard forewarning that was drowned out in the background by all his mental noise.

Rubbing his head, which he had hit rather painfully against the other man's he glanced up, half-bewildered and half-irritated before his expression changed into shock and happiness. He released Mary's hand in that moment to embrace the figure happily and scream his name. "Jamie!"

The other teen chuckled openly and embraced him back, not allowing his hands to dawdle about the younger man's form but admiring it all the same. It seemed to end all too quickly when Jack pulled away and gave Jamie a once over, his features bright and grin upturned. The brunette smirked and raised a joking eyebrow in response. "It hasn't been _that _long, Jack!"

"It's been long enough!" He wrapped his arms around Jamie's body again, knowing he was being just a little too clingy but the contact was working wonders for his emotions – it comforted him to know that Jamie was here with him even when Pitch wasn't.

Then he flashed back to the arcade where he'd seen Jamie stalking about, watching him and he immediately yanked himself away like Jamie was the fucking _plague_. Even Mary was shocked at how viciously and despairingly Jack seemed to claw out of Jamie's arms like some sort of desperate animal. Jamie wasn't even clinging to him as hard as Pitch was – it was just a normal and friendly sort of hug.

Jack just felt vulnerable all of a sudden_, _like something more sinister was lurking about and stepped away from Jamie to take a more defensive position next to Mary. His mind was reeling through endless possibilities, bring up the arcade and demand answer or just play this meeting by ear and pretend that whatever happened at the arcade really didn't happen and try and downplay his rush to escape from Jamie's general vicinity?

He reminded himself that he lost his best friend from trying to confront his feelings and _Pitch _who he was currently placing in the same fucking catagor-

"Look Jamie, it's been great seeing you again but I gotta go." Jamie was already an awkward friend – if not a full blown stalker – there was no harm in getting the fuck out now. He speedily grasped his younger sister's hand again and promptly ran off, not even awaiting a response from the other high-schooler who could clearly see through the half-hearted pleasantries. He waved back to Jack nonetheless and watched him as the white hair quickly dissolved into a speck – Jack almost dashing down the street to escape from Jamie and had it not been for the fact that Mary was forced to keep up with how she was holding hands with him, he'd have run faster.

They stopped about two blocks and a corner turn away and Jack could see Jamie cease his waving and walk in the opposite direction without a single care in the world – he silently thanked the fact that Jamie clearly either sensed that some thing was wrong and decided not to chase after him or just couldn't sense anything and dismissed him as awkward.

Out of the corner of his eye, the cafe struck itself out to him and he could feel a soft pang of hurt ringing in his chest. He should really say something to Mary, do _something _but it was like getting away from Pitch had weakened him..._'I'm head over heels...'_ He mentally thought, part of him feeling sorrowful for the fight and the rest of him a jumbled mess of feelings and emotions.

"We should get home..." Jack said quietly, almost mournfully. He saw now that after just a little bit of emotional failure he didn't have the bravery to face Pitch or Jamie. Why was it that he kept on screwing things up for himself the moment things didn't work out his way?

"But Mister Pitch asked us not to go back to Dad..." Mary looked up at him with sad brown eyes that spoke of a want to keep the promise they made.

He was half a mind to remind Mary that he never agreed to those terms but at the same time he didn't want to talk about Pitch to Mary, he felt too much like a disorienting mess of pride, failure and sorrowfulness to even venture into that territory vocally. Instead he ignored the question, gently squeezed Mary's hand to remind him that she was _here _with him and began his walk home.

Halfway there his phone vibrated in the back of his pants – it was a call. He picked it up in his free hand without looking, too busy looking out both ways for oncoming traffic. "Hello?"

_'__Jack!__'_Now _that _voice was one he currently didn't want to hear right now.

"Hey mom." He feigned surprise and happiness – after hearing her brought up by Pitch in such context he would have to actually think about him while talking to her, his mind wouldn't allow him to do anything else. 'Shit.'

_'__I was worried there for a tiny bit.__'_ There was a light-heartedness in her voice that didn't serve to help either, after all who else did Jack know that was usually rather broody, shouted at him within recent memory and was uncharacteristically happy this morning?

'Fucking...' His mind was making annoying, irritating, Pitch related connections faster then he could make words. Needless to say, it was beginning to aggravate him.

"We're heading home now, we spent the night at-" Oh _fucking hell_ it even hurt to have to say his _name. _He quickly lied to cover his tracks without having to tell Katherine about what had occurred."a friend's house." He could feel another pang in his chest, this time almost twice as painful as before. He visibly winced.

_'__Oh good! Well, I was just calling to make sure that you were O.K. and umm...well...__'_ Jack bit his lip and held back his emotions, pulling and yanking them away from the surface as if he was holding a leash around their neck and trying to keep them in line. Katherine saying _'Ummm'_ was never a good thing and the last thing he needed right now was more distress and unhappiness. _'__William says he got your letter?__'_

'What?...I never sent him a letter...' The young man's face twisted in confusion and he tried to think back and see if he could remember anything about a letter of any sort – but all he got was 'Cafe, Pitch, hug, kiss, we fought, _fuck-_' before he decided to just couldn't remember...but he didn't want to deal with William's bullshit at the moment. "Ah, yeah okay..." He feigned knowing and crossed the street safely with Mary. "We'll be home in a little while okay?"

_'Okay sweetie, be careful.' _Despite her voice being the caring and warm mothering voice that usually would relax his tension away, hearing her did little to comfort him. He took that opportunity to hang up the phone without saying what could be considered a proper goodbye – he didn't feel like it and besides, he'd be seeing her soon enough so there was no point.

It struck him that he probably shouldn't head back to the house since William was more then likely currently there. The last time he was in the house and laid eyes on Jack, he looked murderous. _'I might as well just have put a gun in my mouth...'_ Jack thought mournfully while acknowledging that really, aside from Pitch's place – and really after that fight it might not as well count in his book – where else could he really take Mary?

He exhaled and clenched his eyes shut, coming to a momentary stop at the end of a street, his instinct pulling his hand back slightly holding Mary back and stopping her from crossing without even looking. He needed a moment to fully absorb...everything.

Pitch was right.

Entirely right.

He was dragging Mary back to his parents house where she would more then likely be beaten to death along with him during a particularly gruesome encounter, with his mother looking on like she couldn't physically call the police despite being the only one really capable of doing _anything _against William.

His only hope for his and Mary's survival was basically gone-...wetness prickled at the rims of his eyelids before Mary gave a worrying tug on Jack's hand and woke him up from his depressing thoughts. He glanced down at her and exhaled, feeling a wave of more of that 'lack of self preservation' that Pitch complained about rise up in his stomach.

No.

Just his.

He'd make _sure _no matter what that she was perfectly fine by the 'end' of all this. He'd last another three months, move, take Mary with him and make sure that she was kept safe and healthy in his care even if he had to make a living selling his own body to ensure it and white-knuckle it through the rest of his life. What type of brother would he be if he didn't make sure his little sister was safe and sound at all times?

"Hey Mary, when we get home you wanna get some more Pizza?" A renewed sense of vitality in his voice, not exactly happiness but more positive then the dispiriting sense of dread that was hinted at in his voice earlier. The younger noticed and nearly bounced up and down in excitement as she nodded excitedly. "Pepperoni?" More happy nods. "Alright then, let's hurry home!" He grinned and ruffled her hair.

He understood why Pitch was so _attached _to Mary...and now why he was so angry. 'If William so much as looks at you funny...I think I might kill him.' He thought in a more then simply dark tone of voice as he pulled his hand away and began crossing the street with Mary, happily escorting his little sister back home. William would not harm even a _single_ hair on her head if he had anything to do about it.

* * *

The brunette let him go with a whimsical smile, Jack gave away so much more then he intended to in that brief amount of time – Pitch was clearly the main subject on his mind but not in a positive manner or light. There was none of that _'On cloud nine lovey-dovey'_ romance feeling coming from him. Jamie could see that as Jack was walking around the corner, eyes downcast and all happiness that his figure gave off an obvious farce to keep his younger sibling happy.

To him this meant that either Pitch dumped him or they were having relationship trouble. _'Perfect...'_ He chuckled and did a one eighty, walking down the block with a light-heartedness in his step. Pitch either already was, or was about to be, _gone _from Jack's life.

Life was _good_.

* * *

Now Will still fucking _hated _himself for turning to alcohol for escapism and recreation but now that he was slowly beginning to suffer the after effects of quitting the stuff he could understand why he didn't – and probably couldn't – quit before. Needless to say he felt like absolute _shit_, he didn't even want to move or think and he knew deep down inside that it was only going to get worse. He was going to go through _hell _in the upcoming few days and really, thinking about it he felt he didn't deserve anything less.

Through the storming, pounding headache that seemed to make the room spin on one of its corners he could hear footsteps heading down the hallway and into the room. _'Katherine'_ he mentally reasoned and sprawled out a little more on their bed with a happy grin playing at his lips – he hadn't been paying much attention the last few years.

Kat didn't visibly age. At all. He chuckled despite the aching in his throat as she handed him an ice cold water bottle and sat by his side, fondly running her fingers through his hair. _'You still look as beautiful as when we met...'_ He mentally said and looked up at her with admiration, reminding himself that _she_ was why he was doing this and why she was here. He wanted to get better for her sake so she had a husband to grow up with, for their children's sake so they had a father to care for them.

It made all the painful aches and nauseousness feel so..._bearable_. He put the cold water bottle to his head and released an exhale of relief. "So is Jack okay?"

"He's perfectly fine, coming home with Mary right now actually..." Her voice was almost in a singsong as she moved down a pecked him on the forehead, obviously pleased with William's decision despite the hard work of having to remove over fifty bottles of alcoholic drinks from the house and take William's wallet away so he couldn't buy more. Of course on his suggestion...and near begging.

"Ah..that's nice..." He inhaled a breath of air and held down his gags – the room still stunk of alcohol, trash and rotting garbage. He wrinkled his nose and tried to separate himself from his sense of smell – things like this only served to make him wonder even further how his wife and children were capable of dealing with him. "Next time we go to the supermarket we have to remember to by air freshener..." He turned on his side until he was lying peacefully on Katherine's lap and took slow inhales, the pain still there but subsiding.

"Alright..." She whispered in a quiet and lovingly sweet voice and allowed her sobering husband to fade off into sleep.

–

Unfortunately for the loving and now sobering couple Jack was not _quiet _when he entered the house, storming in with Mary's hand in one hand and a warm and ready pizza box in the other and singing the Spongebob theme song louder then any living human being with a sense of shame ever should.

William grunted excruciatingly and turned from the noise which was not helping his headache, especially since it seemed to be primarily focusing on killing him today. Katherine got up to stop the younger members of the Frost family before William could ask to her do something about it while her husband grabbed a pillow and wrapped it around his throbbing skull.

"Jack, Mary!" Katherine said hastily but quietly as she walked into the living room and greeted her children with a less then pleased expression.

"Hi Mom!" Mary yelled in an outside voice which seemed to triple from the fact that she already had a naturally _loud _voice to begin with and Katherine gave her a threatening look that only a mother could give. The younger Frost whimpered and retreated behind Jack, unused to Katherine's spite.

Jack frowned deeply and glanced towards his mother with a questioning look before she looked at him the same way – he almost stepped back but at this point any anger or ire that Katherine's gaze could release upon him was like a light exercise. He mirrored it and resisted the urge to grin when she seemed to be shocked, frightened even. "William...is asleep." She said quietly, giving Jack a once over before continuing. "I assume Pitch brought you that pizza."

"By proxy," He intentionally made his voice louder then normal when starting that sentence before quieting himself down. William never gave a shit about him and his needs, why the _fuck _should he return the favor? Fear? He didn't feel that when it came to William any more, he just felt a heavy amount of dislike. Love? _**HA**__. _"Yes, he did."

"Well, okay then. Just making sure." She said warily, eying the both of them. "Just please keep it down, he has a really bad headache right now."

The already emotionally tired Jack didn't feel like arguing or dealing with his 'father' or mother his right now and decided now would be a good time to whisk Mary upstairs to play with her toys while she finished off her pizza.

–

_A few hours later..._

The gray-skinned man groaned in deep pain and self-hatred as he tried once again to push himself up from the floor – this whole 'suicide' thing was a terrible fucking idea when he already knew he was literally incapable of making that jump no matter how suicidal he was. The human want to _live_ and survive always overcame Kosmotis' want to end his own life. The knife's cut was not deep enough to end his life or really even cause much pain...

Now the angered Sanderson who had found him, blade in hand after attempting suicide once again would more then likely do the job right and in a much more dramatic and agonizingly slow fashion then anything he could probably cook up. Working with serial killers and psychotics had the benefit of inherently being damn good at emulating them it seemed – especially when the shorter man's foot kicked him in the stomach out of the sheer _rage_ of finding him trying to kill himself again and sent him crashing back down to the floor for the fourth time that hour.

Pitch grunted, fell to the floor with his hands wrapping around his aching lower chest to prevent himself from heaving anything up. The tell-tale pressing of keys already told him he was in for an earful...or at least a very violent reading session. He was yanked rather painfully by the roots of his hair while a bright screen was shoved into his face, he had to blink a few times before he could read it correctly. _'I come back to get my books and find you bleeding on the god-damn floor' _

"Then obviously the cut wasn't deep enough." He smiles with a darkened sort of mirth dancing in his eyes before Mansnoozie ruthlessly punched him in the back of the head. Pitch hissed and let himself drop to the floor. He feels...happy that he isn't dead yet despite the fact that he wanted to die, conflicting emotions aside. On the base mental level, Pitch knew that he could never really pull up the amount of bravery and inner focused anger to take that much of a jump. He just wanted some form of escape from the trauma and the pain.

He just wished that his friend didn't just run in and pummel the shit out of him without a second thought. He glanced up to another screen he could just barely make out. _'Not. Fucking. Funny.'_

He pulled himself up again, letting his body lean against the hard surface of his kitchen counter while he examined his nails in a bored fashion – once Sandy had the patience to actually type out his messages he knew the beating was mostly over. "Honestly Sanderson, we've been through this song and dance before." An almost correcting tone of voice before he rolled his eyes away from the enraged gaze of his friend. "I get upset because its that time of the year again, try to kill myself and then you find me and beat the living hell out of me and I stay upset until October 1st. Then I'm fine for the rest of the year-" A shrug signaled just how much he really didn't care about this attempt.

Sanderson took it as a personal insult and quickly tapped away at his phone. Pitch rolled his eyes again and looked forward only to have another phone screen shoved in his face. '_And what happens when I don't come in time?! What happens when you__'__r__e__ not scared any more Pitch?__'_

Pitch thinks about it and throws a nonchalant look at his scared wrist before looking up at Mansnoozie and shrugging. "Then I'd die and a kid gets their soul avenged." That was the beginning and the end of it for him at that point, nothing more need be said.

Sanderson went from looking upset to just wanting to face-palm. Another screen._'I keep on telling you it's not your fault.'_

"Whatever." Slight rage and spite stemmed from his voice – if it was so easy to just remove the blame from his mind and body he would have been done with all this quite a long time ago. Sanderson never _had_ what he had, what he enjoyed and he was a _criminal _psychologist, how would he know about the inner workings of his mind regarding this matter? How could he understand the bond that he felt? "If it wasn't for me she'd probably still be here."

_'Pitch you need to go spend time with Jack or something...you weren't like this when you were around or thinking of Jack. Especially the first time I found out about him.' _Sanderson's sigh brought him back to the present and as his golden eyes gazed over the message he gaped in awe and sadness from his actions.

He pushed Jack away – _Jack_. Brave, sweethearted, loyal, gentle, passionate, loving _Jack _and then tried to commit suicide even after he dedicated his life to him...he pinched his lips together and bit back to sobs as he rose from his place. In his mind images of Jack and all the time they spent together danced and teased him in his mind, reminding him of _why _he was even still here and why he loved Jack so deeply and so greatly...

"I love him." Pitch whispered quietly, running one hand over the other and giving the wall to his right a thousand yard gaze that made Sanderson worry for him until he realized that he was actually talking to him. "I couldn't tell him that, you know?"

A slow nod.

"Just..._damn it_...I can't..." He shook his head in desperation and ran both his hands through his hair continually as he strode back and forth. "I just have no _idea _any more of what to do with myself without _him_." He paced back and forth in his kitchen, entire posture speaking volumes about his worries and regrets from the earlier morning.

_'That is often what happens when one loses a loved one.' _

"Losing a loved one?" Pitch repeated after him, questioning before answering himself in an almost proud but absolutely enraged matter. "Jack was my _fucking everything_ Sanderson! Not just another 'loved' one..." He calmed down just as quickly as he burned up and slunk back from other man, head shaking viciously before he pulled himself up to full height with a new burst of determination pulsing through him. "And I'll be _damned _before I lose him!" He pushes his way past the shorter man who immediately smiles and waves to Pitch. Instead of taking the time to feel sorry about himself and do nothing, he was actually taking action and trying to pull his relationships back together...Sanderson allowed himself a tiny applause after Pitch slammed the front door shut from the outside.

And then ripped itself back open as Pitch returned in a rush, quickly dashing upstairs to retrieve the most precious thing in his possession to take with him – almost as an afterthought – before rapidly moving back downstairs.

_'And with that, my work here is done.' _Sanderson thought as he typed out one last message to Pitch before he left, not quite caring whether he got it or not but still wanting to make sure the taller man was still in a sane state of mind. "_Don't drive like a nutcase. I know you are a nutcase but don't drive like one. And wear a seat belt."_

Considering the fact that the car took more then three seconds to fully drive off at an insane speed, he'd say he did his part.

Now was the business of collecting those books.

–


	26. Gravity

Gravity (Wolf's Rain)

* * *

_'That is often what happens when one loses a loved one.' _

"_Loving a loved one?" Pitch repeated after him, questioning before answering himself in an almost proud but absolutely enraged matter. "Jack was fucking everything Sanderson! Not just another loved one..." He calmed down just as quickly as he burned up and slunk back from other man, head shaking viciously before he pulled himself up to full height with a new burst of determination pulsing through him. "And I'll be damned before I lose him!" He pushes his way past the shorter man who immediately smiles and waves to Pitch. Instead of taking the time to feel sorry about himself and do nothing, he was actually taking action and trying to pull his relationships back together...Sanderson allowed himself a tiny applause after Pitch slammed the front door shut from the outside._

_And then ripped itself back open as Pitch returned in a rush, quickly dashing upstairs to retrieve the most precious thing in his possession to take with him – almost as an afterthought – before rapidly moving back downstairs. _

_'And with that, my work here is done.' Sanderson thought as he typed out one last message to Pitch before he left, not quite caring whether he got it or not but still wanting to make sure the taller man was still in a sane state of mind. "Don't drive like a nutcase. I know you are a nutcase but don't drive like one. And wear a seat belt."_

_Considering the fact that the car took more then ten seconds to fully drive off at an insane speed, he'd say he did his part. _

_Now was the business of collecting those books._

* * *

Pitch parked his car directly outside the Frost residence – taking careful time to fix himself up in the mirror as best he could, sizable bandages he often kept in the glove compartment 'just in case' finally being put to good use on the less then unnoticeable at first glance cut on his wrist. He silently hoped Jack wouldn't see it but didn't hope for much – Jack was young, he certainly wasn't _blind_.

The rather cloudy sky was rapidly changing from its morning bright morning blue to a strange mixture of burnt orange and miscellaneous intense reds and midnight purple._ 'Surely... couldn't have spent that much time getting the shit kicked out of me by Sanderson?' _He pinched his lips together in distaste and thought but remembered how terrible he was at guessing the approximate time just as he ran his hands over his face and examined himself in the side car door mirror – a heavy weight left his shoulders.

Not that many bruises on his face aside from a split and bruised lip – he licked at it before leaving the car.

In a concerned haste regarding him and Jack's well being he quickly swept himself up the steps of the porch and knocked impatiently, but lightly, on the door of the home.

It swung open almost immediately to show a rather blithesome and sweet faced Katherine in jeans and a light blue t-shirt, looking more like a teenager then Jack did half the time. "Oh Pitch!" She said happily, opening the door for him to come in. "I guess your visiting Jack again?"

If she noticed that Pitch looked like he just got mugged, he was thankful she didn't make it the topic of conversation. Pitch assumed that it must be her own experiences of being beaten, her own abusive past, that may have desensitized her to seeing others looking battered.

"Um, no." For the first time in a long time he was actually fumbling around his words, trying to think of what to say. "I just came to invite Jack for extra study that one of the college teachers is offering." He hoped that in her obviously sober state she wouldn't deliberate too hard on what he was saying and mine him for any more information – especially with his current state of appearance.

"Oh okay, give me a second – husband's sleeping in the other room." He wasn't sure whether that was Katherine _propositioning _him or just some random fact that she thought he needed to know. He prayed it was the latter – as attractive and loving as Katherine seemed he wanted _**no**_ romantic involvement with her. The housewife quickly left the door half open, striding towards the door that lead to his beloved's room – Pitch watched her carefully while he looked around the living room.

No signs of a struggle or anything would point to William even attempting to hurt Jack. It was a good start but he still wanted to see his white-haired beloved just to be sure.

Sure enough, the young high-schooler came downstairs with his mouth half open as he looked towards Pitch with disbelief. The older man exhaled happily, he appeared to be fine. No broken bones, no blood stains. Nothing.

He had even changed his clothes to something that was much more appropriately 'Jack' – sweatshirt, loose fitting jeans, no real accessories.

Good.

Everything was good.

Nervously Jack approached the older man, slipping on some sandals by his door way as he passed and looking at Pitch tentatively. "Hey, Pitch..." it was a low, quiet voice that was near a whispering tone. "Umm...what?" He gestured to the older man in a hopeful skepticism. He finished the sentence mentally, _'What are you doing here?'_

There was so much to talk about, so much he actually wanted to break down and say right now but Katherine's ever-obvious presence broke the mood and enforced a sense of caution – a need to keep on lying about his intentions. It was times like this where he wished he and Jack could go public sooner rather then in three long, tortuously painful months.

He noticed the rather stunningly extended pause he put in between him answering Jack's question while looking directly at him in a less then decent way. In a wanting way. Not good. Katherine was just about to start giving him looks until he gave what he deemed to be a sufficient answer. "Bonus study time." He gave a rapid and flawless delivery on the white lie but didn't spend time dwelling on it, instead Pitch gave Jack the sweetest eyes he could as he approached, trying to relay his emotions as best he could. _'I want to talk to you'_, _'I want to make things right'_,_ 'I'm sorry'._

"Ummm..." He sent Katherine a questioning gaze before receiving a nod and giving them both a tiny smile. "Sure, let me just get my phone..."

A burden of relief washed over him and his features and he let himself unwind just a tiny bit as Jack seemed to step away, hasty to retrieve his cellphone from his room. "I'll be waiting for you in the car then." He yelled after Jack with a noise of delight hidden in his voice, disregarding the flash of displeasure shown on Katherine's features – if she was honestly irritated by his long pause during answering she would have glared then, not now. _'Well good...hard part's over.'_

–

Pitch tried not to seem more nervous then he actually was – what he was doing now felt like the equivalent of a suicide mission even though he _knew _Jack and he _knew _the truth about September...he was still terrified about it.

Though if he took a moment to think when in fact, when was he not? When was he not afraid of looking at the calender just because of that dreaded month when his life might as well have turned to ruins around him? When was he not dancing on emotional pins and needles trying to keep his life straight whenever the time came?

_'Never.'_ He answered himself mentally and realized briefly that the neighboring front seat of the vehicle was actually empty with Jack awkwardly standing outside his window, shirting his weight from foot to foot. He looked up with 'The People's Eyebrow' and got a painful sigh in response.

"Pitch I can't." The young icicle haired teen said with a diminutive shake of his head, arms crossed. "I mean...Mary, you, my parents, my _life _Pitch." he explained, voice becoming more and more exasperated as he went on and the older lover felt inexplicably guilty though none of the madness was focused on him. "I have to focus on _my _life for right now okay?" His voice almost sunk down into a whisper. "I feel like everything's...falling apart a little and I need to fix it or else..." He let his voice trail off.

He spent his entire life trying to keep everything from falling apart – trying to keep the police out and the family together. He didn't want it to all be ruined now when it felt more _normal _and more survivable. The word needed to say such though, lingered on his tongue like an awful taste. Without any significant words to say between them that annoying, all too familiar silence that had disappeared for such a long length of time now returned with a vengeance.

It stretched on and on without a clearly visible end with Jack kind of half-wanting to take it back and hop in the car, but not wanting to go back on his word since he already felt as though he had already gone back on _too much _and half-wanting for Pitch to kind of drag him in, push him to come with...and unbeknownst to him Pitch actually wanted to do the latter.

But Pitch refused to do that because it was the same exact thing that got them into this fight in the _first _place and so they just let the silence stretch on for as long as they could, but of them avoiding all types of eye contact and freely letting their skin itch with the bothersome awkwardness that filled the air, neither capable of gathering the boldness required to actually try to do something.

And for some reason...that pissed Jack off on a basic level. What got him here anyway? The unwillingness to explain his relationship to Mary and keep on facing Pitch. The same weakness that was currently making this angering silence.

He took a deep breath. "So yeah." Just those two words took a heavy toll in meta-physical strength to say and he _prayed _that he was making the right decision...

To go back inside his house and pretend none of this ever happened. "I'm gonna go no-"

"Jack, you know that I know what you're going through..." Pitch said without warning, hints of sadness and sympathy sprinkled throughout his statement as he tried to actually translate his emotions correctly – he didn't want to be misunderstood like last time.

"N-No..." The embarrassment and shame was coming back full force and he couldn't find it in him to concede to Pitch. He stayed on the defensive more out of pride then any sense of actually _needing _to defend himself, knowing that Pitch wasn't assaulting or insulting his pride or him in any way, shape or form. "You don't...you never have- and I wish you would stop acting like it."

Pitch shut his eyes tightly and took a noisy inhale of warm breath through his nose. That stung and hurt, not because Jack was resisting his advances to talk but because it was a reminder that everything was _not fine_. He had lived in this relationship, put his all in fooling himself with the lie that Jack was just some how knew his every thought or action – or at the very least knew about September. It was comforting to think that he didn't have to _explain _himself when he didn't want to and so he idealized the young man before him..."...Jack, come here." He reached out the window towards the young man who stepped back, trying his keep himself calm and relaxed.

"Pitch, can you just stop?" His voice raised against his will, a life living with William and trying to defend both him and his mother now clearly oozing through the cracks like blood on a graze – he was just holding all these emotions in from everything from his family to Pitch to himself to Jamie. He didn't _want _to defend himself, it was like caring for Mary and...wanting to be with Pitch. Just second nature for him now. "I just can't..."

It felt like the honest truth. He felt like he was a glutton for getting hurt and harmed by the people around him and now he was just bursting over with it. He didn't think Pitch would come back to him – he didn't think that he would be standing he right now, having this conversation of Pitch trying to urge him into his car so they could actually have a real discussion about early this morning.

Pitch moved himself over to the passenger's seat and reached through the window, fingers just brushing against Jack's skin before the teen stepped back again, lowering his head to stare at the concrete instead of anywhere near Pitch. "Jack I watched you..."

He already knew how weird that sounded, how crazy and dementedly stalker-ish that appeared to really be but he didn't care – Jack would either leave his life now and he'd die inside or he'd know the truth. That was the beginning and the end of it on the older man's side. "Almost every time you walked past the cafe with your little sister, when he headed straight to school."

"Great." He shrugged without meaning to and feigned raised eyebrows, still refusing to make eye contact. "You stalked me. That's great..." Then he squinted in thought and chuckled self-deprecatingly. He didn't see this coming, it was _upsetting _his emotional balance – or at least all the balance he thought he had before today, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to go back inside or go with Pitch and really, he wasn't sure where either path would lead him.

Unsure, exhausted on a level that surpassed his physical tiredness and not able to find his footing...defensiveness just kept on coming, it was his only real option. He had no idea what else to do. "So you literally followed me home from school or-"

"Jack, that cafe has been a part of my daily routine for the past year..." A soft, truthful and gentle explanation that Jack just shook his head to, why did it _hurt _to try and keep listening to him?

"It doesn't matter." He raised his hands in surrender – to what he really didn't know – and began stepping back at a quicker pace with light shakes of his head. "Let's just...let's just forget this ever happened okay? I'll stop trying to meet you in the cafe and just tell my parents I didn't need a study partner anymore."

"..." Pitch stares dolefully at him for a time before frowning deeply, grasping at the precious item around his neck thoughtfully as if pleading for strength from some unseen source. "Jack...come with me to the cafe." He say it without opening his eyes and pulls himself back into the car, trying to bite back the painful waves of his own conflicting feelings and raging sadness.

He couldn't look Jack in the eye while he spoke. Something in him that was just barely holding together would break if he gazed into those twin snowflake eyes. What was the chance that telling Jack about September would actually _fix _things between them?

"Pitch." A plead to stop yanking heart strings and just let him _go_. He didn't want to be let go but be wanted this to just stop hurting.

"Please?...A few brief moments of your time are all I ask..." He couldn't even put any hint of influence in his voice and could only faintly hear the robotic twang it carried. Letting any feelings out now would just cause them to overflow. He didn't need to overflow on Jack right now – his beloved was already clearly reaching his limit.

"Pitc-"

He looks up at Jack with his immense need and golden star-like eyes that he swears feel like they are full of tears and god _damn _everything seems to break down at once, all over again just like last time and his voice cracks from the strain of it all. "Please."

He can't even feel his chest anymore, every part of him is burning up with a flame of twisting agony near his heart – he had no idea what to _do_. He wanted Pitch but oh god facing Pitc-

No. He took a deep breath and tried to summon all his courage and strength from bottom to top – trying to muster the level of bravery that he used to stand against William despite the two being completely different men. He grit his teeth and made a split second decision that had Pitch scrambling to move.

Jack stormily pushed himself inside the front driver's seat, nostrils flaring and taking massive breaths to try and keep the temporary emotional boost going. "Go. Drive. Please." He said as Pitch gathered himself in shock in the neighboring chair. "If you don't go now, I'm not sure I can ever even look at you again so just _go." _

"As you wish." Pitch buckled himself in and began his drive back to the Cafe.

–

The cheerless and quiet drive is much longer then they both could have predicted – Pitch believes so at least. The heavy, copious amounts of pliable tension is doing neither of them any favors much less making either one of them really want to stay in the car and music isn't playing since despite him actually enjoyingplaying music while driving he really has nothing that would help the mood – the last thing he wants Jack to hear coming from his stereo right now is some melancholy song about how difficult life is. And there's also the fact that, again, he sucks at estimating time.

Jack though, being the glorious social butterfly that he is does make an attempt at conversation. "So um...Pitch-"

"..." Pitch is too focused on driving to really show him the slightest bit of attention at the moment.

"Your wrist, did...did something happen to it?" Jack speaks, knowing full well that attempted suicide is really the most likely cause but wanting to believe that Pitch was _stronger_ then that – that he could live without him if the need arose and that he wasn't going to kill himself because of their fight. Though judging by the rest of him, the bruises and the split lip it could just as well be that he got into a fight with someone on the way here.

A stressed out sigh signaled to Jack that Pitch wasn't actually deaf or going through some weird listening loss. In reality, he really was just ignoring him – but only because Pitch had no idea how to answer, no idea as to what he could say that would alleviate the mood or give an answer that didn't sound something like 'I got into a fight with a razorblade...on my wrist', as darkly funny and nonsensical as it would've sounded.

He just doesn't know how to respond...and so he doesn't.

He does know though that eventually, with what the dark clouds in the air promised earlier, rain came. Luckily it was gentle as they came to a stop with no reason to get out any umbrellas or hoods yet. As he pulled the keys from the ignition and shoved them in his back pocket, he licked over his lips and questioned himself. _'Are you actually ready to talk about this?'. _

And a damn good question it was with the only _sane _answer he could give being _NO. _He glanced at Jack through the corner of his eye. _'Just because it was _hard _didn't mean he wasn't going to __**try**__.' _Jack at least had a right to know...

He could see the young teen getting antsy and restless, eyes somewhat trembling back and forth in their sockets and his hands rubbing the opposite arms in a cradle. Pitch pulled himself out and helped Jack escape from the rain and into the quiet haven of their original meeting place – where it all sort of...started really.

Jack lets Pitch lead, unsure of everything right now and feeling too wounded, too _damaged _to try and lead anything right now. The other lover sees this and acts on it, leading the dazed boy by the hand insistently but at the same time gently and carefully. He didn't want him to feel _forced _in anyway. He sweeps him away to a booth away from the sparse and spread out reposeful people spread about the room – none of them looking like they were from town and all of them seeming to be older and reserved with the few that glanced around on doing so protectively.

Except for Toothiana who was, for no real reason wearing a bright blue and green sequence dress that made her gleam like a turned on light bulb under the fluorescent lights of the cafe – luckily she was dreaming peacefully in the back room, well hidden through the bright red curtains of hid the door between the kitchen and the rest of the cafe.

Pitch predicted that they wouldn't care if he had a hysterical, insane, overemotional crying fit here – therefore tonight's group was perfect.

As was their booth...it was in the perfect position. Right across from the relatively new parking lot that glared him in the face like a rotting wound. It was the same one their met at as well.

'History repeats itself...'He mused and took the window seat opposite Jack – he was looking less and less dazed by the minute with a tiny grin playing at the normally happy features. Pitch hoped that he too could see the deja vu.

They in complete silence for a moment that left Jack's skin itching and Pitch feeling off-balance with no real idea as to why but deciding he was tired of having to seat somewhere and be awkward around the man who should be his _lover_.

He raised his hand impatiently and a rather annoyed looking Bunnymund, his mood undoubtedly caused by Toothiana's decision that right now was just the perfect time to sleep, quickly rushed over to fulfill the quiet and concise order of coffees and _plenty _of sugar packets for the occasion.

As the waiter returned with the order Jack chose to speak now rather then later, his normal personality returning to him with haste. "I suppose that...we talk about it over coffee?"

A pleased nod from Pitch. He was glad Jack understood his intentions – it made everything feel a little bit more natural and normal despite the new water they were treading. He realized that he and Jack had never had an argument before – not one of any significant importance or urgency like this one anyway. Not one that involved storming out of houses to get away from each other...he wasn't sure whether or not this was their relationship progressing forward.

"So..." Jack interrupts Pitch's thinking without noticing and turns to face away from him, preferring t o look at the boring cream colored counter of the cafe. "Are you going to tell me why you brought me out here or...?" His self-protective second nature was coming back and really, Jack decided that maybe it'd be best if he just shut his mouth for now since he lacked the control needed to make his tone less volatile.

Pitch failed to be insulted or turned off by it, catching the moderate insincerity in the note of unfriendliness – Jack didn't _mean _to be like this. Not knowing quite how to respond he simply uses a single finger to trace the outer edge of his coffee cup, enjoying the feeling of steam on his fingertips before picking up at least three sugar packets and violently tearing them open with much more force then what was needed.

Jack wanted to kind of intervene or say something since Pitch seemed to just be ignoring his presence entirely. He held back his want to defend himself from attacks that weren't and probably would never truly be directed at him and tried to insert some level of yearning into his voice without seeming...artificial. "Don't drag me all the way over here and just make me sit here."

He bit his lip in annoyance at his tone of voice; wrong emotion. Still too defensive, too demanding. He tried to start again but all that escaped him were broken, half hearted sentences that went lacking as soon as they were said. Pitch still didn't seem to even give him any attention and instead gently moved the second, untouched coffee in his direction with a push of his finger.

Jack nodded in thanks but said nothing, grabbing coffee creamer – along with probably far too much sugar then what could be considered sane much less healthy – to momentarily entertain his hands. But it could only do so much before they had another unoccupied space of time in which neither said nothing both gazing to their respective sides with Pitch's golden eyes gazing across the street, directly at the empty parking lot with a sense of great anxiety and depression looming over him.

'I miss you so much...'He thought and wrapped both his hands around the heated porcelain mug, the atmosphere feeling as if it was freezing him to death, it made him feel choked, scared and alone in an excruciatingly familiar way that frightened him. 'But I...I've got Jack now. You'd love him...I don't want him to leave me.' Another chill, this time up his spine and almost lifting him from the seat – he used the shock of feeling it and the energy it gave to open his mouth and speak. "Jack."

The teen immediately looked at him attentively but avoided his eyes – he didn't want to look into Pitch's eyes right now. Everything felt too...breakable and easy to destroy. "Yes?" He felt as if just speaking was taxing him and 'them' some how, like it was adding too much 'weight' to their relationship.

Judging by the way Pitch's jaw tightened he would've guessed it was the same thing but then a familiar sensation crawled over his hand and he glanced down to see that his older lover was trying to actually hold hands with him.

"Pitch." A tiny frown that barely showed through and a tone of miffed disapproval. They couldn't possibly actually _touch _now could they? Was Pitch really that forgiving of him, believing they could get over this here and now?

"I..." Pitch gazed down at their hands and let out a huff of hot air. "I apologize..." He looked back at the window with a look of morose coming over him, gaining Jack's attention. "I need to touch you while I tell you this...I need- I need _something _to remind me that I'm not..." A deep breath had Jack reeling and upon closer inspection he could see that Pitch was actually blinking away tears. "That I'm just not _there _anymore."

His expression and entire physical presence changed like he was frightened and paralyzed due to his overwhelming fear, trembling and shaking beneath a threatening power that he had no control over. Jack's concern comes sprouting through his defenses until it shows clearly through his face as he patiently waits for Pitch to right himself - the only time he allows his eyes to wander from the gray man's form is to meaninglessly observe the other less then intriguing or reasonably intrigued cafe-goers.

"It's the first time I've told anyone about this, so umm..." Hearing Pitch's uncertainty and wavering voice actually _scared _Jack by proxy. Pitch wasn't a man that he knew to indulge in fear and doubt – this was the first time Jack could see him break down from something that didn't at least _appear _to be related to them and their relationship. "Please have some patience with me." Pitch whispered softly and rested one of his hands on the table while Jack nodded and listened.

A few more deep and empowering breaths, _in, out, in, out..._relax...and he began.

"Well..." A nervous swallow ended his sentence before it began – and he started over from there. "I suppose I should start from the time I was in my late fifteenth year..." A sort of melancholy Nostalgia shined through the golden eyes Jack found himself gazing in once again, interested and hooked onto every word despite Pitch's tale clearly only just beginning.

"I was young." A wistful sigh and Jack prodded himself as a mental reminder that Pitch wasn't even past twenty five yet. What exactly did he consider _young?_ "In the middle of and in the more generous years of pubescence – luckily I started earlier, it was hell really...I shot up in height but stayed thin and gangly until I finally got some muscle...and even then I stayed sort of paper thin..." A slight frown made Jack grin just a little. _I know the feeling. _"This was before the gray skin so as you could easily imagine...lots of young women focused their attention on me."

With much more relaxed and calmed movements and actions Jack pointed to himself and then pointed to Pitch, face stained with a layer of confusion. "But I thought..." _That you were gay._

Pitch reads his mind and continues onward with a slight grin. "I never said I slept with all of them...I was experimenting around that time and even though didn't know what I really liked or was looking for...I only slept with a few girls before I realized I was more interested in other men more but, before I could really cement that I found out that one of the girls I was with was, well, pregnant-"

"Wait...wait.._what?"_ Jack gasped and gazed around the room in total disbelief of what his ears just heard – unable to fully swallow it. Pitch, a _player. _Really, who would ever believe that? He wanted to say that he must have been _bullshitting_ him but it felt too early to start another argument, even one like this one that would become undoubtedly comical or at least awkward instead of aggravating.

Much to his surprise as he calmed down – and Pitch stared onwards in a curious gaze trying to gauge his emotions—he felt no real anger come over him, only a sense of having made a strange misconception about his boyfriend.

"Alright then." Pitch's brow furrowed and he started once more, eyes gazing up to the ceiling more then once with shimmers of difficulty shining through them. He was trying very hard to pick his words right now..."I really had _no_ idea how or when it actually _happened_ but the child was apparently mine." He shrugged in apathy and continued. "Fortunately enough for me my parents were wealthy enough so that me and her were quite well off, my mother even got a nanny to care for her while I had school..."

"Umm wait-" Jack felt childish and foolish for interfering but Pitch's eyes seemed welcoming and the mood seemed light enough to allow him to ask. "Where was the mother during all this?"

Pitch sucked his teeth and looked away, shoulders slumping very lightly. "She refused to be part of taking care of the child in any way, shape or form after my parents refused to pay for an abortion since I actually wanted the child..."

"I named her Seraphina Pitchiner and..." Pitch looks away as if considering something inside of himself before he blinked rapidly, as if owning back a great many tears. Then suddenly his hand was once again squeezing Jack's painfully, the younger teen winces but doesn't complain about it for his sake. After a short time of more uncomfortable silence he relents his viper-like clutch and sends Jack an apologetic smile.

"And no matter what anyone says, I don't think I was that bad of a parent really." His voice brightens up and his eyes almost glow in pride and happiness – the younger boyfriend tilts his head to the side and continues to gaze at his significant other in interest, entranced by Pitch's story and emotions. He'd never seen him give off such a wide range before, not even during the earlier fight. "For a little while at least...after she turned three and I was in college with a job I still had lots of time for her – I think...I was always taking care of her whenever it was needed. Buying her plenty of gifts and toys. Spoiled her rotten really, and she deserved it. For my eighteenth my parents got private tutors and teachers for her as a gift for me...she spoke very good German before she turned six-"

"And English?" Jack intervened again, brimming with curiosity about this child he never met, amazed in her story and who she was...but something was wrong. Why couldn't he put his finger on it?

"This was far before I moved here, even my English wasn't that good yet..." Pitch absent-mindedly toyed with Jack's fingers using his own before interlocking them. "Can I...Can I move over there? Next to you? Next to the window?"

"Um...sure..." Jack pulled his hand away and Pitch moved over next to him, moving next to the window and directly next to him, before intertwining their fingers once again and hiding their connection hidden under the table.

"She was five when her mother came back into our lives...less then-" Pitch cuts himself off and pouts lightly in regret, not the biggest fan of his next choice of words. "Mentally stable to say the least."

"What was wrong with her?" Part of him thought it was rude to ask questions like that regarding Pitch's past – the one much ruder then the last one. It was as if he was a young child listening to his father read him a storybook, but still he wanted to know more. The was the most information that Pitch had ever revealed to him about himself and so...he was starving for it.

"She stalked me." He practically spat out the words in a venomous and offended tone, eyes narrowed at the cooling coffee in his hands like it was the face of his mother's child. Jack almost felt sorry for asking until he realized it was more aimed at _her _then at him. "Followed me around in broad daylight even when it was obvious I didn't want anything to do with her. She would keep asking me about Seraphina 'How is my child?' 'Where is my child', 'Who is my child with right now'..." Another bit of less then joyous nostalgia before a razor-sharp intake of breath and frightfully aggressive look from Pitch. His teeth grit until the sounds of light cracking were detectable and his jawline sharpening to a point as he hissed out. "And note:_ 'My'_, never '_Our'_. Made her intentions clear enough."

"She didn't want anything to do with you, she just wanted the kid." Jack summarized smoothly and almost mirrored Pitch's look of anger. 'How could someone just walk out of their child's own life, let someone lay the groundwork for them and then act like they can waltz right back in once the hard work is done?'

He's given a mild nod that bellies the aggressive nature from before and then the story teller continues. "Eventually we just got a restraining order against her but since she never caused us any physical harm and was technically Seraphina's mother – despite literally walking out of her life." His eyes narrowed viciously, clearly it was against his own decision to have the 'mother' back in Seraphina's life. "It didn't hold for very long and the very same day that she somehow found out it expired, she was back to following us again...only this time a little more forceful – not enough to get arrested or keep her away but enough that it became rather..." His face twists and he rubs the back of his neck and glances around as if trying to find the right word just lying around the cafe somewhere. Eventually he was able to pull it out. "_'__Disquieting__'_ being in the same town as her, and so my parents and I decided that the smartest move would be to move to another place..."

"Here, to Burgess?"

"Yes. Somehow a different town became an entirely different country for safety's sake. Don't ask me how..." He waves his free hand in the air in passive dismissal. "But it doesn't matter...we got here and moved into that green, leafy hide away back behind the town..." He stops and gazes longingly at the parking lot across the street. "and Seraphina loved it, especially the river behind the house. She loved the water, the nature, the occasional young stray deer..."

Jack's heart nearly stopped in his chest. _That's _what was wrong. If Pitch loved Seraphina so much why wasn't she _here,_ why did he meet a childless and lonely Pitch sitting alone in this seat...why was he referring to her in _past tense?!_ He gripped his hand tightly between two of his own, slowly shaking his head. "Please..." His voice was veering on tears – he swore he didn't want to here the end of it, he didn't want to hear how much the man he loved had lost. "Please stop."

"Please let me finish-" He could just barely see the readied tears now prickling at the stressed and reddened edges of his eyes and he brought his hand up to wipe them away.

"I can't sit here and listen to you while you sound like you're _dying _inside." Younger, smaller hands worked to wipe Pitch's tears away while Jack cried his own – already feeling Pitch's pain, already _knowing _how this was going to end.

"It's a story that needs to be told Jack. You believed that I didn't understand and so...now you have to learn why." The voice wavered and cracked, breaking painfully like someone had stabbed it in some places. It was as if he had suddenly lost vocal cords with certain words.

"But it hurts..." He felt as if through an invisible connection he could feel Pitch's pain, his heart-ached and he didn't want to _know_ any of what had happened...but at the very same time he wanted to be there for him like a supporter, like someone he could depend on.

"I know...I know all too well..." Pitch snuggles comfortingly into Jack's shoulder and before the snow-haired teen can stop himself his fingers are grazing the edges of the black hair line and holding him protectively as if keeping him safe from the rest of the world. He can feel wetness, heaves and gentle bit-back waves of silent screams.

And then he pulls his arm out, bending it awkwardly to reach down his shirt and capture the item that he had been holding onto all this time...

A golden, shining locket with carvings of stars and moons adorning the edges with a bright sun shining in the center, Jack thought was beautiful...then with a tentative motion Pitch clicked it open, revealing the face of a little innocent girl with a youthful, sweet smile and long black hair.

Unmistakable.

She was Seraphina Pitchiner.

Pitch continues to talk as Jack stares at the photo with mouth half-agape as he sees the resemblance between her and Mary – just change the hair color and you have splitting images. "We were...happy. For the first time in a long time we were happy and safe. I kept on spoiling her, finishing my college work and I just- there were no words to describe how good everything felt. I've heard people complain about their children before but...Seraphina was the sweetest thing ever. Polite, quiet, gentle, smart – she...she was perfect, and the feeling of knowing that I-" Pitch cuts himself off there forcing one hand over his face to hide his face away from Jack. 'Don't over flow...if you over flow you can't reel yourself back.' He took a deep breath – for once the emotions he was holding back weren't the cutting, slicing, aching wounds that September left on him...

He was _proud_. "The feeling of knowing I _fathered_ that. That she was what I brought into this world – she was something I helped to create and form – it felt like...like I had done something incredible and miraculous every moment I spent with her. I cannot think of a single time where she or I were upset or angry with one another...it was the most wonderful year of my life." Pitch balled his hand up, enclosing it around his mouth in order to try and quell the distressed sounds coming out of it.

Jack ran his fingers through the jet black hair and gently kissed his forehead, tears of his own making their way down his face. He didn't know that Pitch wasn't just being sympathetic when he said he knew what his situation was like.

The fight between them just seemed so fucking _stupid _now that he was hearing and seeing all of this, seeing Pitch through new eyes with a new sense of understanding.

Pitch leans into his touch and releases a dense, depressed breath that splits the few remaining heartstrings that Jack believes he has left. "And then...it was a day like any other really...I remember every detail so...vividly..." He squints as if staring at an ant in his coffee. "God knows I don't want to but I do."

"It was a Thursday. Very sunny. I had the day off both school and work and so I dedicated that day to Seraphina. She was six, I was twenty-one. She was so happy and carefree all the time but especially _that _day. It was the first time she ever used English in public too...perfect pronunciation...and to this day I wish she actually got it wrong." Pitch takes a deep breath that he doesn't release without licking his lips and shaking his head first. "I know that sounds strange but...I really do..." He twists his body so he's still sitting but his face is pressed firmly into Jack's chest, his voice coming out as a muffle. "I took her to the local candy shop, that is now the empty lot across the street."

"It happened so fast..." His gray fist slammed down on the table in a furious mixture of choler and despair. Jack yanked his hand away from his own coffee, in fear that it may be hot as the force of the strike made some of it spill out. "I couldn't even see it coming...All I remember is asking her 'What do you want?'...she told me 'Cotton Candy'." He shakes his head, rubbing his face into Jack's sweatshirt while the younger only gave careful butterfly touches in an attempt to calm him, finding himself capable of doing little else.

"She gave me this wide smile that could block out the sun and then...just a loud screeching of some _drunk_ moron slamming on the brakes-" Another slam that drew the momentary attention of the sparse numbers of cafe-goers, who then promptly grew bored or didn't care. "Then rumbling and then..." He was shaking his head in a sense of nostalgic disbelief, the entire scene playing itself out behind his eyes. "the entire front of the store was gone...lots of screaming." Pitch shivered frightfully. "I only had a few bruises, I didn't even fall over...Seraphina was literally right next to me...but...s-she."

Jack winces as he gasps back his own tears and feels Pitch's own drip through the cloth. He clenches his eyes tightly in sympathetic melancholy and then curls his own body around the shaking one in his arms, cradling him further. "She just..she- she was _gone _Jack, just _gone,_ here then...nothing. I didn't even...I didn't fall or anything and the shop was full of kids Jack, but she was the only one, _why?_" Pitch's hands dug into his sweatshirt as he futilely tried to muffle his cries while speaking. "What did me or her do? W-why?"

Jack tries to summon up an answer, but can't find a single one inside of himself. He didn't go through what Pitch went through, he didn't have the experiences that the man holding him had. 'I don't even think there's an answer...'He pulls him in closer and shares his tears, trying to whisper reassurances to him through his own gasps and shudders of tears but only saying apologies as if it was his fault. "I'm so sorry...I'm _sorry."_

The minutes ticked by and for all the couple knew they could've been hours, maybe even days – the passing moments even felt that long. Either way they failed to care about the passing of the time as Jack continued to cradle a broken down and self repairing Pitchiner who rubbed his hands up and down his lover's back in a sort of trance. His eyes fixed to the spot where he was standing when his whole world seemed to fall able before his very eyes – oh if he could only _tell _Jack.

Neither Bunnymund nor Toothiana ever come out to their knowledge and the silence is deafening and splitting on their ears. Eventually Jack lowers his head and faces his pained lover with apologetic eyes and tries to speak but Pitch simply presses his lips to his, grazing against them like a passing breeze while he releases more and more of his tension.

Jack holding him was doing _wonders_.

With a burst of bravery that was all his own Pitch continued on in fear, not precisely _wanting _to continue his speech but feeling as if Jack just needed to know this. "I...that's why I think I know what you're going through." He swallows, his throat full of cotton and a wavy, blurry sense of choking. "The alcohol...by _drunk_ moron I mean _drunk _moron...the bad parent...the responsibility...I know how it feels."

Jack offers him the sweetest, most compassionate smile that he is capable of ever giving – but it is tainted and crooked ever so slightly by the sadness of the story. He finds himself feeling as if he can barely gaze at him any more – almost _unworthy _of being blessed by his presence and happiness. "And that's why I love you."

And now he's bewildered – side winded by Pitch's abrupt and surprising words. His breath hitches and he looks up to the sky as if the ceiling has the answers he seeks but he can't move his head too far, Pitch grasps his chin and forces him to look him in the eyes...and then he kisses him

Jack releases an indecent noise that stirs up a completely inappropriate feeling in Pitch's lower stomach and the older can't resist but to ravish him, he deepens the kiss and moves his way up until he's once again equal to Jack. His tongue slides smoothly alongside Jack's – his boyfriend's sweet, smaller, delicate tongue that just tastes like faint sugar and _snow_.

He doesn't want to keep talking.

He wants to _love_ Jack. He wants to drown himself in an ocean of him and his sweet love if he can, holding him close and never letting him go. But the younger pulls away and shakes his head in a way that politely rejects Pitch.

Then they just sit there holding one another – the tiny, faint night sky glitters of stars that glisten in the window besides them slowly begin to disappear to their eyes as the sky begins to light up in a faint way.

Then the talking begins once again. "You know...You went through it too...but you didn't need money and it wasn't even your child. You didn't have to do this. You could've turned a blind eye..." Pitch wistfully glances as his now room temperature coffee. "You're so dedicated, you're so much more committed – you're a much better father."

There is a moment of quiet introspection from the seat next to him and then Pitch finds his own lips intertwined in a passionate dance with Jack's once more. He almost feels light headed like this, with his love giving him contact that he needs but couldn't ask for...then it ends again. Jack runs his hands down the sides of Pitch's tear stained face and frowning in disagreement, even as his fingertips move down and outline his lips in a teasing way that makes Pitch give an audible gasp.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" He shakes his head in disbelief as he speaks, staring the other man straight in the eye as he talks to him. "I...I could never compare to you!" His voice is full of wonder and love, eyes wet but out of a mixture of joy and sadness he couldn't explain even if he had the vocabulary needed to describe it. "– I mean I...I could never give Mary the life that you gave Seraphina Pitch! You were willing to move, to go to court, move to a whole different country, live an entirely different life in a new place for her – I...I didn't even call the police on my father during his drunken bouts until recently...and even then I really didn't do anything...You were an incredible father with Seraphina. I can tell."

"Jack you don't know tha-"

"Then why are you here?" Jack asked incredulously, pointing to the floor with a smile. "Right across from where Seraphina died? You _miss_ her, you loved her and you did everything you could for her. Even right now you're breaking down for her..."

"Jack I just...I can't believe that.." Pitch removes himself from Jack's hands and distracts his own by tracing the outline of his coffee cup.

"I wish you could." Jack timidly places a single hand behind Pitch's head and moves their lips together – happy when his older lover doesn't resist, then pressing their foreheads together as if leaning on one another. "I wish you could see just how good of a Dad you were...and are."

"Are?"

"You saw how I was with Mary but you didn't notice how I was watching you and Mary?" He chuckled in happiness and sincerity. "You actually _care_ about children Pitch – you strive to entertain and protect them like a guardian..."

"Ridiculous Jack-"

"It's not. You." He took a deep breath and shut his eyes tight, relocating himself to the opposite side of the seat so that he could prepare himself to say this. If it was painful for him he _knew _it would hurt Pitch to hear it. _'Alright, Pitch...bare with me.'_ He bit his teeth and ground it out. "You couldn't have done anything to save Seraphina."

The look Pitch gives him is a fierce brew of hate and crying, tears once again specking at the edges of his eyes. "I know, it's hard to believe but...really...how could you have known that car was coming? Out of the sounds of tens of other cars how were you supposed to know which one was about to crash into the candy store? You were rewarding her for being smart Pitch. You were doing the right thing! It was beyond your control."

"Then why doesn't it feel like it?!" He near screamed, pulling himself away towards the window glaring at the empty lot in a melancholy anger Jack find heart-breaking. "Why do I feel like I have this heavy weight on my shoulders, dragging me down? Like it was my fault? Like I might as well have killed her myself?!"

'Is this what you were carrying all this time?' He thinks and gives Pitch another tainted smile. "Stop saying that, its not your fault." Jack exclaimed, reaching forward and wrapping his arms around Pitch "You don't deserve the blame for any of what happened, you shouldn't have to place all that weight on your shoulders to begin with. If anything you're the most blameless person in your situation right next to your daughter."

Pitch squints his eyes in thought as he enters into the welcoming embrace and lets out a self-depreciating chuckle as he remembers: he told Jack the exact same thing."I know I should've applied that to myself but...it's so hard...it's just so hard...even now."

"It's fine..."

Another stretch of silence overtakes the cafe for a measure of time that neither of them could possibly care for – all that matters is that they are _together_. That Jack is here in Pitch's arms and Pitch is here in his and every thing just feels right and okay and stable.

Pitch tries to pull away and Jack could almost sense something wrong. "Take your time." Jack whispers, sensing the older man's hurry and rush. "I'm not going anywhere." The gray-skinned man exhales happily and embraces him even more, warmer and more lovingly then before with the slightest sound of a song on his breath.

The silence isn't so bad now, it isn't as weighty and painful to carry and listen to with Jack sitting next to him, unwittingly – or perhaps now knowing since learning about the existence and end of Seraphina – calming him down...

But he chooses to end it anyway, preferring the sound of that youthful voice to the sound of nothing at all. "The coffee is cold now..."

"Yeah." Jack gives a simple answer and kisses Pitch on his cheek, neither moving from their caressing position.

"We really should leave, it's gotta be at least 2 am..." He looks out of the window once more, for the first time gazing through it without glancing directly at the candy-store turned parking lot and instead at the sky above it, half-admiring and half-worrying about the on-setting brightness of the moonlit sky.

"Yeah..."

"And we didn't even touch our coffee.." He fingers the edge of the cup with disinterest – he really had no want or need for coffee..._'Why did I even buy this?'_

"Yeah..."

"And you just keep saying yeah..."

"Yeah..." A hint of mirth.

"Let's get you home, you must be tired..."

"I'm fine. Really."

"Your parents will actually kill me if I bring you any later then this."

"And my house is like, five minutes away by car – which would make you five minutes later then this." Jack gave him mischievous wink. "Let's just go to your place or something." He tossed Pitch a less then publicly 'decent' tone of voice and look, uncaring for anyone that was around.

"I never liked driving in the dark." He replied with a look of clearly suspicious and unconvinced mirth that practically yelled'Nope, I already know what you're trying to do. No'. After a moment of clearing his voice he continued. "Don't make me drive through the woods, emotionally exhausted, and in the dark." They both knew it was more of a plea to not proceed teasing him – and the younger of the two didn't care within the slightest.

"Please?" He cooed with a wide grin that already gave enough of his intentions away not accounting his ice blue eyes that were dancing with devilry in the snowflake-like irises.

"I love you, I really do-" Pitch futilely tried his hand at bargaining with the younger man. His defenses were already dropping and Jack practically zoomed in on him like a hawk.

"Pleeeeease"

"Saying it longer won't help sweetheart..." He had no idea where the nickname came from and didn't really question it – too tired from the night's events to really pay any sizable amount of painstaking attention to his speech.

"Mmmm I like that nickname...call me that again." Jack grinned happily as he saw the last few wall of resistance begin to crumble down.

"Sweetheart, I'm taking you home-"

"Yay-" Jack began to cheer with delight.

"To your place."

"Boooo." After hearing that Pitch knew that that playful side would be the death of him. He bit back a grin and tried to keep on resisting..

"Why do you even want to be with me? I look pathetic." Pitch motioned to his tear stained and exhausted face and Jack just smiled.

"I wanna be with you because I love you..." Jack huddled up closer and snuggled next to him. Pitch groaned, obviously fatigued, and gave in to the younger man's demands.

No point in fighting. His ass was getting sore from sitting down so long anyway. "...Fine. We'll go to my place. But no funny business tonight, understand?" He slid smoothly out of the seat and began heading for the door with Jack in tow.

"Pitch, in a couple weeks I'll be legal – technically that really doesn't matter – but yeah I'll be legal...You can say 'No fucking your brains out tonight.'" Jack smiled tiredly and slid out of the booth after him, narrowly avoiding knocking over the two abandoned cups of coffee.

"Let's just go" Pitch said, an invisible grin painted on his own lips while he shook his head at the lack of decency in Jack's language.

* * *

Funfact: Secret running gag, Pitch isn't anything like he is in RoTG with the exception of his 'We're alike, let's be together' relationship to Jack. He likes children, loves them even, actually tries to escape people who see him, gives Jack good "day" dreams and hides himself in a place away from the world (as compared to his movie counterpart that wanted the whole world to believe in and see him). In fact Jack and Pitch are even more alike then they were in RoTG. Both have less then decent mothers in their lives, both wish to take care of and did great amounts of self sacrifice for a child, both of them are horny about 97 percent of the time – as we'll see in the next chapter.


	27. Half Pain (Bonus)

She straightened out her dress crispy and cleanly, attentively getting out all the 'crackily' shapes she didn't like before heading to the doorway in haste after grabbing her favorite toy in passing – careful not to be too fast though, her father had often warned her about playing around on or near the steps. She one after another with legs that were still getting used to the height of the steps, still adjusting to the act of ascending and descending them.

After at last reaching the final step and jumping off in a mixture of celebration and playfulness she gave her toy – a brand new new superman toy that she received as a gift after getting _another_ A+ on her tests. With a wide smile and she approached her father, her large, silver moon shining eyes shimmering with excitement. _'I'm ready Dad.' _Her father smiled wistfully and inwardly thought to himself about how quickly she seemed to be growing up.

Pitch offered his hand to hers and she took it happily, skipping alongside her father with a dainty leap in every step as they made their way to the car outside. The father couldn't help but chuckle over how _tiny_ her hands seemed in comparison to his.

"All right Seraphina." His voice was like that of a storybook teller to her – like a calming and comforting cloud that she could just rest on forever. Unsurprising since he was always weaving her secret little tales about heroes, monsters and the man on the moon. "You know the rules. Stay near me, don't talk to strangers unless I tell you its okay to, don't walk off with them." He glazed over the rules, running down the list in full but not pressing any points.

Seraphina was a good girl, she'd listen.

He helped her board into the back seat of the vehicle, always letting her go first but surprised when she confidently pulled herself up into the seat. "Daddy, I'm a big girl now!" Her speech was accented with heavy twangs of half-learned German that melted her fathers heart.

"Ok, ok." He feigned surrender and began buckling her in. He wondered if later on in life she would begin rejecting him, denying him, going through what his parents called a 'rebellious phase'. He frowned in aggravation as he pulled away, seeing now that eventually she would have to grow up and get into the world on her own. She'd own her own house, have her own kids and live her own life.

Then he caught a sparkle of her shining gray eyes and chuckled at his own foolishness. It didn't matter how old she was.

She'd always be his little princess.

–

The drive was quiet and slow, with neither talking much as Seraphina sang along to a little tune playing on the radio and Krozmotis did his very best to focus on the road and not on her surprisingly skilful singing. It sent his mind racing – the thought of seeing her on a stage and watching her perform from the sidelines, cheering her on as people applauded her and her beautiful voice.

A light chuckle before a familiar turn to the local clothing store to get Seraphina her present – it wasn't a special occasion, he just wanted to shower her with gifts today. He had the day off after all, a single day away from school and work. He wanted to spend it giving Seraphina some time with him, away from all the tutors, teachers and school work she seemed to be drowned in despite her superior knowledge of it.

He hoped that she felt okay – he wondered if he wasn't spending _enough_ time with her. He pulled the car to a stop outside the local toy store and bit his lip, trying to recount all hours he spent with her this week. He spent a few brief minutes wondering if it was enough, if he was actually enough of a presence in her life to matter.

No matter what answer he reached he knew it wouldn't be satisfactory. With an annoyed groan he unbuckled his seat belt, exited and made his way around the car, promptly releasing a happy and bubbly Seraphina to the sidewalk right next to their destination.

He took her hand in his and suppressed the ear-to-ear grin that threatened to make itself prevalent when she gripped back and began humming a familiar tune – the Superman theme. 'So she knows.' He sighed aloud as he rushed himself, politely walking ahead and opening the door for her.

"Thank you Dad." She said quietly as she past and then quickly huddled back up to him as they entered the store together, hand in hand. He could feel her by his lower leg, shivering and trying to swallow down her fright – public places and large amount of people in the same room were clearly not her forte.

_'Damn Alison.'_ He hissed, thinking of her mother with anger. There had been many a time when the teenage mother would stalk them through crowds and stores, half-stealthily following the young girl and trying her best to snatch her away. In fact, at one time she had almost been successful.

One time too many for Seraphina. A caring and familiar hand lowered down to comfort her and ran through her hair gently like a fading caress. Her shivering didn't subside but her could feel her deathclaw grip on him lessen until she was clinging but instead holding tightly.

_'Better.'_ He thought with a small but bittersweet smile, patting her hair down as they walked through the store, approaching a familiar isle of toys that were lined with familiar famous superheroes of all kinds. Her shivering seemed to calm down as there weren't many kids here with the exception of very young ones of about four and five, most of which either too young to or still awaiting entrance to the local grade school.

Grade school kids were still in – it was noon at Thursday. He silently thanked the fact that Seraphina was young but very mentally sharp with a remarkable ability to quickly get a grasp of new material and hence for her own academic good, effectively home-schooled.

They walked down the aisle knowingly with Seraphina gliding by his side in tow, gazing enchantingly at the toys they passed with mouth half-agape in wonder of the sheer amount of them.

Then they reached their destination and Seraphina had to take a sharp intake in shock and yanked at her father's shirt. He looked down and simply nodded, retrieving the long, white object from the toy rack and chuckling as she reached for it.

"Just a bit little one..." He cooed sweetly and pet her softly on the head, chuckling aloud when she began to pout disagreeably. _'Smart, but certainly impatient.' _He took the toy in one hand and held Seraphina's in another, walking out of the aisle with an ever-increasing haste – reaching the checkout in record time with the young daughter practically forcing Pitch to keep up despite her size.

As they reached there Pitch had no time to stop himself from laughing alongside the young female checkout clerk, obviously tickled pink by the scene in front of her. He laughed along with her as he placed the toy down and turned to Seraphina.

"Patience sweetheart!" His voice was free of any anger or spite but rather a sort of warming and welcoming sense of love that brought an ever bigger smile to the little girl's face. "You'll get your toy soon dear."

Seraphina nodded but as the female worker at the checkout began to ring them out she bounced up and down in impatience all the same, pouting and twisting back and forth as every fiber in her body screamed in protest from simply having to stand and wait – father could get things done so much quicker then _this_ lady could!

"I'm so sorry." She finally said, looking down at Seraphina from her place behind the register. "But my machine is broken, I'm gonna need to call someone to fix it okay?"

Seraphina looked at her nervously, as if feeling crowded into the room despite herself and her father being the only ones in this section of the store. She huddled closer to Pitch and looked at him anxiously, wondering what to do before he glanced down with a friendly and reassuring grin. "It's alright, I'm here."

She visibly relaxed and spoke bravely in an accented voice. "Okay, I'll wait."

"Awww, thank you!" The young woman cooed before she walked away into another room, undoubtedly getting another person or another machine to work with.

Pitch chuckled lightly as Seraphina turned to him, finding herself gazing into an expression of happiness mirroring her own. "Good job!" He said, swooping down and hugging her tight.

To anyone else, he was sure, that might not have been such a great occasion – but never once had her seen her interact with another person by speaking to them in such _perfect_ English before. More often then not he'd find he'd have to run over and translate for her.

"Such a smart girl." He commented quietly, returning to his full standing position as they continued to wait on Seraphina's present.

–

Seraphina mumbled quiet, faint words to a song only she could hear as they piled back into the vehicle. Her bright, moonlight sliver eyes watched attentively as her father loaded her special toy into the seat besides him and carefully strapping it in – behest her own special request – before they took off onto the road again.

"You did a very good job back in the store Sera!" Pitch exclaimed, still in wonder of hearing her perfect English.

"Thank you, daddy..." She said in response with her voice sounding half uninterested as she was now gazing out her seat's adjacent window, admiring the city streets as they rushed by her window.

_'I need to take her out more...'_ He thought, slowing down at a stop light and thinking of what to do. When was the last time they both really had a time on the town together? When they walked around and really got a look at the place that they lived near? Never.

A quick glance around made him feel almost frighteningly aware of how little he really knew about the small town of Burgess. Everything in his vision was either something barely remembered or new to him – foreign. He figured such things happened when you came from a completely different country almost on a whim without any prearranged touring or knowledge of the culture.

Still feeling half-annoyed at his own lack of knowledge about the town he noticed a nearby candy store right around the corner. It was bright and happy with children practically clamoring around it – perfect. Plus, he couldn't remember the last time he and Seraphina actually sat down and ate candy together. "Sera, darling. You want to go buy some candy?"

He delightfully assumed that the high-pitched cheer that came from the back seat was simple, wordless confirmation.

–

He frowned disapprovingly down at Seraphina with the way she clenched his leg, her little nails nearly breaking through the fabric of his clothing and her eyes wide with worry and scared emotions.

"It's alright Sera, I'll be here." He whispered to her as they walked the short distance from the car to the store – multiple kids running past them either exiting or leaving the store with sweet treats in hand. He snickered softly as Seraphina looked at them, stealing glances at the foods that most kids were eating while they passed them both by.

When they got to the door, which was opened for them by a passing and happy looking couple – a young woman, no older then thirty he'd guess, holding a blond haired little girl's hand, her surprisingly unhappy and older looking husband by them and he assumed their brown haired son – Pitch guessed around fifteen – following close behind.

"Thanks." He said quietly to the passing couple and caught a glimpse of a reflection in the door – the young woman who'd opened it smiling and nodding in welcome.

For a half second he was a little shocked – he wasn't expecting the shop to be as _big_ as it was. It only seemed to take up a faction of the corner it was located on but it was sprawling with candy racks and plastic columns here and there, a different type, color and flavor in each place. He glanced down to see Seraphina's mouth agape in stupor as she gazed, mesmerized by the sheer amount of candy that lined the place.

"Well, go ahead." Pitch welcomed her with a grin and she looked up at him with wide, sparkling eyes that seemed fit to burst.

"Really?!"

"Yup! Really!"

Nervousness shaken off by the prospect of sugar and sweetness she skipped out into some of the aisles made by the rows and columns of shelves and tables that were filled to bursting and lined with sweets of all kinds.

Pitch regretted to say he wasn't a fan of many sweets as he protectively followed Seraphina during her trips up and down the rainbow colored aisles. He just didn't have a taste for them unless he needed the rapid burst of energy the overwhelmingly high amounts of sugar would provide. He sniffled the overly saccharine smelling air and let out a cough, deciding right then and there he wouldn't get anything...until he saw a table specifically set out for gum.

That he could work with.

He briefly snatched a packet of gum off a nearby shelf, like a child stealing from a cookie jar, and continued standing behind Seraphina like an ever present protector. The raven haired girl continued to skip around though, as if uninterested. Pitch was on the verge of asking her if she really even wanted anything...

Until she found a curious and absurdly bright pink machine that whirred and twirled two large whisks in a bowl, making little wisps of cotton.

After mere seconds of staring at it she ran over to her father, face split in a massive grin as she declared happily, jumping up and down in front of him so full of joy, practically on cloud nine. With tiny, little fingers she pointed over to the machine wildly.

"Daddy, what's that?"

"It's..." He had to squint and think for a moment before laughing in realization. "Ahh- I used to love eating that at your age. It's a cotton candy maker."

"_Cotton_ candy?" She said, thinking queerly. "But...isn't cotton what they make clothes with?" Her voice carried a note of confusion and curiosity.

"Why yes, but this candy is different." He pointed to it with a grin. "This cotton's made out of sugar and syrup – I believe...and guess what?" He leaned in close as if about to tell his young daughter a little surprise.

"What?" Her voice was filled with wonder, eyes flashing in-between both him and the candy machine.

"It does a magic trick when you eat it!" He smiled with his voice lowered to a whisper as he stealthily snatched a piece of the wispy sugar after seeing that no adults were around to catch him."It melts, then disappears!" He handed it to Seraphina who stared at it, examining it as if trying to find out the 'magic trick' from sight alone before putting it in her mouth...

She waited...

And then made a hard face, tongue rolling around in her mouth searching for the missing magic candy and then opening her mouth wide, softly patting around and on her lips with her open palm to try and find it. "It's gone!"

Pitch grinned and nodded.

"So, Seraphina...Do you want some cotton candy?"

"Yes!"

–

The ear-splitting heavy sounds of a high-speed drunk driver car chase rapidly approaching a deadly end made Krosmotis grab his ears and painfully shut his eyes as the rest of his body moved on sheer parental instinct to try and hug Seraphina's head and shield her from the sound.

Too late, too far and _too slow._

He stumbled back lightly a loud crash sounded through the room, people and their children screamed in waves of terror and fear, the entire place _shook _as if the very Earth was trying to move itself and consume them all. Everything in its entirety was just _blurry_ and rushing by him in mere moments, everything seemed to move in slow motion as he gazed up and saw the scene before him.

A car – a large, navy blue jeep – had come crashing to a stop, implanting itself within the candy store.

Pitch, quickly realized the situation and got up, his eyes flaring and trying to see through the kicked up smoke and dust that was surrounding him. Debris from the broken and rapidly further breaking building fell down around him as people screamed near and around the car – next to and around were Seraphina had been just sheer moments ago-

_'Oh God no...'_ His eyes widened in absolute horror as he quickly pushed his way past the surrounding crowd of people and dropped to his knees at the sight of young alabaster skin. He took a breath and bravely he reached forward, hoping, believing, clutching to the familiar tiny hand and specks of black hair that poked its way through the cement debris from underneath the car, blood covered with twisted bone coming through and tear painfully through flesh and tissue.

But it had no pulse.

It _couldn't_...

The hair was so shiny and bright and so _Seraphina_ but it just...

It couldn't be right?

_Right?_

He took a deep swallow and tried to calm down – any moment now maybe Seraphina would come through one of the rapidly fading dust clouds that were sparsely spread around, a few bruises maybe but nothing _like this_. He stared down at the hand and let his eyes flash around the room in misplaced hope – deep down he _knew_...

The body that lie beneath the car was undoubtedly Seraphina Pitchiner.

But _no_. Not this early, not this _young_. Not while she still had her _entire_ life to live ahead of her. He squeezed the hand tightly and looked around the room again as behind him more people began to realize the situation and scream for ambulance, for help, all yelling the same thing.

_'Oh god I think someone's kid-!'_

_'Someone, I think we have a hurt child here!' _

In disbelief he shook his head and grasped the lifeless but still warm palm of the young child – doubtlessly his daughter, OBVIOUSLY his daughter..._'God please not _my _daughter...' _he whispered repeatedly to himself, squeezing the corpse hand in horror as he silently prayed. _'Please, please please no- NO...' _

–

The constant, droning and rather irritatingly deafening sound of police sirens wailing in front of the destroyed candy shop become background noise, as did the consistent and perhaps strangely heart-felt efforts of local police and medical workers who came up to Pitch, gently placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to wake him up as he sat there, shocked and shaken beyond what his mind could comprehend.

Eventually someone along the line just put a shock blanket on him and left him there with only the occasional police force member shuffling along to try and give support – undoubtedly at least one of them had a child of their own and had really tried to send their hearts out to him but...he just couldn't _feel_ anymore.

Blood from the impact had splattered all over him, the dark gray ground beneath his knees, the nearby counter and the cotton candy machine that would still run if not for the deactivated electricity. Earlier it had dripped, wet and hot still after being released.

Now it was as cold as the young hand.

The young father was completely frozen, clenching the inanimate palm of a child that – despite having no evidence to prove the fact – he knew for sure was his little girl, his little Seraphina, underneath the rubble and concrete.

"Hey, come on. We need to move the car and clear the rubble." Another policeman shook his shoulder, trying to pull some type of response from him but his body was like stone. Cold, heavy, hard – _soulless_.

"Look man, I'm sorry about your kid – I _really_ am." The police officer tried to explain, placing his hands around his belt and trying to give off some essence of authority. "But you need to move. If we get her out of here now-"

"Can you bring her back?" Pitch's voice was hollow and empty, the natural flutter of emotion and care was absent from his tone – he didn't have any _care_ to give to anything now. He didn't even turn to throw a sideways glance at the fledgling officer behind him.

Needless to say a long and horrid silence stretched out as he considered his options of response..."No – but!"

"Then shut the _fuck_ up." He hissed venomously, clutching the hand ever tighter in his grip as he slowly came back to himself. He had no _patience_ for the other man.

"Alright then. I'm sorry."

Pitch paid him no mind and cautiously ran his fingers across the delicate little palm for the twelfth time that hour, cautiously marking every line and little fingernail with knowing. Any sharp or notable spark of emotion or feeling in his eyes had died out long ago, dried away along with the tears. There was only a heavy layer of shock and melancholy left behind.

Above him sunny day skies had generally turned into early late-summer to early fall evenings heavy, rain-filled grayish clouds that had yet to spill forth any weather but made great promise to do so.

He wondered briefly in the slowly returning to functioning parts of his brain if the sky was crying for her – if it was just reflecting how he felt.

He wasn't given additional time to wonder as he was hoisted up by multiple police officers – gently but still with a measure of force – and taken away to the ambulance that awaited him. His mind had, at that moment, suddenly located himself and he tried to shake free from them, twisting his body this way and that, screaming all the while.

"No _no_, she'll be _alone__!_ She hates being alone – there's too many people- she'll be scared, _please_-" Old trails made by previous tears were retreaded by new ones as the police ignored his pleas and placed him in the ambulance, leaving him there to be strapped down by force if need be.

–

Thirty minutes later the tears had at last stopped falling, replaced by shuddering sobs as his mind reabsorbed what had occurred, eyes drifting from the candy shop to the white blanket placed over Seraphina's lifeless body to the police cars and back again – his eyes barely able to see from his strapped down position in the medical bed but his panic increasing his already strong senses.

Rain still had yet to fall over the town of Burgess but the sky seemed to grow even blacker and almost frightening to Pitch's reddened, shock-blown golden irises.

"She's dead." He said aloud with his voice thick with regret, anger, hatred and sorrow. "She's gone." He repeated over and over to no one but himself until it felt like his voice was going to break and his throat would explode – the pain and cracking dryness from the tears gradually making speaking a challenging task.

From the need to no longer feel his throat aches a calm and quiet declaration became a hushed and excruciatingly tormenting whisper that made him catch himself multiple times just to stop from breaking out into wild, enraged and horrified tears again.

Then from a whisper to a mental mantra, using tiresome repetition in his mind even as a familiar heated wetness bloomed again at the corner of his eyes and stained the white sheets beneath him. For how long he lie there staring at the dark gray skies and mumbling to himself to accept the horrid reality set before him he couldn't possibly know...

But eventually he was freed as a familiar face showed up...

Or more specifically as a phone screen was shoved in his face. _'Pitch, I'm gonna drive you home alright?'._

The only response he could give was a stricken, anguished sound – that of a pained animal's final scream for help or rescue before death.

The Police offered to let him see the body for himself – he didn't need to see it after they told him it was indeed Seraphina Pitchiner lying cold, unmoving and lifeless beneath the hard rock. He politely told them to go fuck themselves as he walked away from the scene alongside his high-school friend, still half dazed with emotions dulled out like a used up carving knife.

He frankly didn't know why he was so upset with everyone around him except Sandman or why his feelings were continuously getting the better of him now. It was as if he was zipping back and forth on a line of dark emotions ranging from ire to something akin to the onset of depression. Never predictable, never _settled_.

As he marched by, dark shoes hitting the pavement like he was a soldier marching away from a battlefield, he could again just barely glimpse at the corpse that lie there. It was like another sharp knife to his heart...but he had no tears left to give for the one that lay there – he wanted to cry and shriek but nothing would come out.

He wanted to charge back in there and hold her – promise her that even in death she wouldn't be alone, that Daddy would be there to give her toys and presents like action figures of all her favorite superheroes and a book about the stars in the sky. Then maybe open her bedroom door up 'just a crack' so that it wouldn't get too dark and tell her stories before bed but the police refused to allow him in.

Normally he would've fought, screamed, bitten, stabbed and used every method he could to try and see her...but he felt too hollowed out, too far gone to fight against or for anything.

So he just...walked away. Strode away from the scene and into his best friend's car leaving it – and her – behind. He mentally sent her a heartfelt apology, not wanting for her to be alone or afraid with no one nearby to look after her.

As he strapped himself into the front passenger's seat he couldn't help but feel a well of regret and sorrow bubbling up and overflowing inside of him. Seraphina never _asked_ to come to the candy store, she didn't beg for him to bring her here – _h__e_ brought her here, to this place and for that she had paid the price.

Without meaning to he took a heavy swallow and his hand clenched the seat in a death grip – abruptly feeling a wave of claustrophobic fright overtake him. His nails pierced the leather and he gave a heavy wretch towards the window – Sanderson turning just in time to watch as Pitch used his breakfast to paint the outside of the car door a new shade of sickened burnt sienna, the color of pancakes mixed with bacon.


	28. Teardrop Part 1

Chapter 25 – Teardrop (Massive Attack) -

"_Sweetheart, I'm taking you home-"_

"_Yay-" Jack began to cheer with delight._

"_To your place."_

"_Boooo." After hearing that Pitch knew that that playful side would be the death of him. He bit back a grin and tried to keep on resisting.._

"_Why do you even want to be with me? I look pathetic." Pitch motioned to his tear stained and exhausted face and Jack just smiled. _

"_I wanna be with you because I love you..." Jack huddled up closer and snuggled next to him. Pitch groaned, obviously fatigued, and gave in to the younger man's demands._

_No point in fighting. His ass was getting sore from sitting down so long anyway. "...Fine. We'll go to my place. But no funny business tonight, understand?" He slid smoothly out of the seat and began heading for the door with Jack in tow. _

"_Pitch, in a couple weeks I'll be legal – technically that really doesn't matter – but yeah I'll be legal...You can say 'No fucking your brains out tonight.'" Jack smiled tiredly and slid out of the booth after him, narrowly avoiding knocking over the two abandoned cups of coffee. _

"_Let's just go" Pitch said, an invisible grin painted on his own lips while he shook his head at the lack of decency in Jack's language._

–

Jack happily piled himself into the car alongside Pitch with a happy and colorful smile half-appearing on his lips. They were still a _thing_ and better yet he could understand Pitch and why he was the way he was. Inside he felt the joy of getting to know someone he loved just a tiny bit better. But alongside it was a painful and writhing inner mass of cloudy melancholy that he couldn't shake.

He futilely tried to withstand it as he gazed towards the empty and unnaturally frightening parking lot across the street. Previously he paid no mind to it, dismissing it as just another place that was sort of...there.

Now it seemed like a horrible place knowing that somewhere underneath all those little pieces of rubble and cement could be drops of Seraphina's blood staining the ground. A person just like him...

No.

A little girl around _Mary's_ age.

He gripped his own shoulders, suddenly sobered from the thought – his own mortality and that of others striking him like a lightning bolt. He bit his lip and whimpered aloud, half wanting to somehow break out of the car, run into the parking lot and just _bring her back _in some way.

"Try not to think about it." Pitch spoke without even glancing in his direction. Jack's eyes averted to him before lowering sadly. "Happens to the best of us."

He realized now that Pitch was indeed a father – someone who really could take care of Mary should the need call for it and that when he was saying that he understood Jack's situation, he certainly wasn't kidding.

But he didn't know how Pitch could deal with it – he barely could, knowing that he just passed by such a place.

Besides him Pitch began to expressionlessly start up the car, more focused on getting everything right then Jack's increasingly depressed mood. _'Better to make sure we live through the car ride rather then die during it comforting him.' _He thought, twisting the key in the engine and paying close attention to the revving of the engine. Faintly he could hear Jack mumble something that he could just barely hear – he wasn't paying much attention.

"I'm sorry for earlier." The usually bright voice was down to a heavy, breathy whisper. In-between words he sniffled lightly, tearing up just a little too much as he finally came around to absorbing the whole story he was told. He was happy that he and Pitch were back together but now that he began to remember the fight, their relationship and his and _Mary_'s relationship he just couldn't hold it in anymore.

Pitch didn't vocally respond and instead began driving to his house while Jack tried to prepare himself for another twenty minutes of total dead silence.

–

Jack made sure not to trip as he walked up the long-familiar steps the lead to the porch of his beau's house. The sky was brighter then before but was still a deary dark blue – the sparse amount of stars in the sky seeming so few and far between.

He wondered if it was because he knew about Seraphina and Pitch. He unconsciously folded his arms and followed Pitch into the house silently, suddenly not wanting to voice anything and wanting for the whole world in its entirety to just take a moment of solemn silence for the little girl that his boyfriend had lost.

He took a huff of shocked breath as the lights inside clicked on and lightly stung his eyes from their brightness. He rapidly blinked while watching his lover move about the house – briefly catching the slightest sight of his face.

Complete stone. No emotion, no feeling, no slight hint of sadness or depression and not even that faint sense of sarcastic haughtiness or mature near-stoicism he usually felt from Pitch. There was literally _nothing_ there.

It made him feel out of sorts and awkward – unused to this 'version' or 'facet' of his boyfriend. He resigned himself to the couch and watched Pitch move about the room in an unhurried gait. His keys were thrown unceremoniously onto the couch cushion beside the nervous high-schooler and he hung his jacket on edge of the opposite chair, where he usually sat.

There was an off-settling robotic and inhumanly methodical feeling in the way he moved – despite the haphazard placement of his belongings – that rung of something empty and devoid of any recognizable feeling.

Jack swallowed anxiously and shifted, unsure if he was going to lie down on the couch and sleep there for the night or head up into Pitch's bedroom and sleep alongside him since 'funny business' was never expanded on.

Pitch rubbed his calloused hands together and glanced over the room, golden eyes slowly making their way over the space, observing the passable level of cleanliness in the room and biting the inside of his cheek, trying to focus. Failing that he straightened the sleeves of his shirt to distract himself, to try and separate himself from the current situation.

While Jack had been feeling horrified at fully absorbing and thinking of Seraphina's death and the burden he had to bury, he was holding down such heavy emotion – suppressing himself and hiding everything away from Jack's wondering eyes – from someone telling him that he had actually been a _good father._

No one did that before. No one ever told him, aside from Sandman, that it wasn't his fault and not even Sandman claimed Pitch had been a good father to his late daughter. Just hearing it, especially from Jack's mouth – someone who knew what it was like to have to raise a child mostly on one's own – made him feel...like he did everything in his power for Seraphina.

It reminded himself why he _loved_ the young man so much. He wanted to explore him, touch him in every place and tease in all the spots he'd find Jack liked. He yearned to pull every possible hot note, gasp and pant of helplessly strong pleasure from his throat then come to learn and know them all by memory.

He dared an expressionless glance at Jack, who glanced back with his own twin snowflake eyes rubbing his own arms in a self hug as if he was actually cold. Pitch felt like he should open his mouth and ask if that was the case – but he couldn't stop himself.

He stepped forward towards Jack, raising his hands to gently cup the young face that gaped up at him with a loss for words, obviously intimidated by the lack of anything shown in his eyes.

_'I was the one who claimed no sex tonight...but if you'll allow me...'_ He swooped down and snatched a swift and careful peck from the parted lips, wanting to do infinitely more but not daring to allow himself unless Jack wanted it. He gave Jack a once over, admiring how his face looked in the low light before pulling away – not receiving any proposition or sign of a definitive answer.

"You can sleep in my bed." He whispered quietly, turning away to walk into the kitchen in spite of his lack of idea of what to do there when he arrived – not planning to be rejected. He decided to double back once Jack went upstairs and sleep on the couch or chair for now. "I'll see you tomorrow." A slight bit of disappointment rung clearly in his voice without him meaning for it to but he didn't try to cover it back up.

He didn't have the time to. Jack gripped the back of Pitch's shirt like a needy child and pulled – not hard enough to yank Pitch into a fall but enough to make him stop and look back, surprised at the abrupt action.

"I don't want to – uhm..." He had to calm himself down and lower his hand before he could continue, his head and mouth acted as if they were stuffed with cotton. He choked and bit down on his words, struggling to get them out. "I-I don't want to sleep in your bed...when you aren't there." He repeatedly licked his lips, savoring and relishing in the familiar, sweetish twinge of coffee that hung against Pitch's natural soft of gingery taste.

A warming feeling of gentle comfort came over him like a wave and he tried to get closer by pulling Pitch just a little further towards him. "It scares me." He gave him the most honest answer he could give, it wouldn't be the first time he laid down in his lover's bed but it would be the first time without Pitch.

He didn't want to wake up in Pitch's house without waking up next to him or in his proximity.

–

Jack lay back against the warm and welcoming bedspread and Pitch rounded the bottom of the bed to join him – refusing to allow himself the privilege of climbing in directly on top of Jack. _'No need to rush...morning is coming but there are so many more hours to go...' _he calmed his nerves as he climbed in alongside his younger lover, tense but trying as hard as he could to seem some semblance of relaxed.

It felt like anything and everything could go wrong here – he could say the wrong thing or do the right thing and immediately Jack would be gone and out of his reach forever. Even as he searched those light cerulean and gentle eyes for some type of beginning or signal that he could reach out and touch, he was frightened.

He swallowed and reached out to him, hands trembling with anxiety as he grazed the very tips of his fingers against soft, alabaster skin. A feeling reminiscent of cotton and silk, delicate and airy, was all he could feel and left ghostly tingles that he couldn't shake away.

He didn't dare press harder, like Jack's skin would split open painfully if he did and instead simply flashed a smile that betrayed how nervous he was.

Slowly the teen seemed to smile back up at him, eyes slightly nervous and quaking in his skull as he tried to form words – most of them refusing to be spoken and remaining in his voice until he at last caught himself and spoke brokenly. "P-Pitch I...can we do more things?" His hands fumbled around, fiddling with one another as he looked at his beau, hoping that he would know what he was talking about.

His ears perked at hearing the confirmation and Pitch nodded knowingly, now touching just a tad more intimately with most of his attention being paid on trying not to seem like his hands were trembling like he was freezing cold.

Large, grayed hands glided lovingly across the soft skin, caressing and gently rubbing anything they could get against – hungry like wolves but holding themselves back from consuming, feasting and ravishing.

Jack whispered a breathy 'Thank you.' as he raised and moved his body ever closer to his lover's and drank him in – enjoying all the little careful touches here and there, the sort of heated emotion of the moment and all the attention he was receiving. _'Just a few hours ago I was so close __to losing you...' _He released an embarrassing purring sound as Pitch's hands glided underneath the fabric of his sweatshirt.

Jack tried to clamp his hands down over his mouth to prevent any other sounds from leaving him – he thought he was ruining the moment and pushing the other man away but sounding so unprepared. But then he heard something similar to a growl of want and hunger just as one of Pitch's hands came up and softly pushed them away as if to say 'Please _don't hide your voice from me.'_

Then Jack took in a huff of air and laid back, just allowing himself to _feel_ for now, letting Pitch take over and dominate his body and all the little touches he could do. He wanted to feel like he wouldn't leave, like what they had couldn't be taken away or destroyed like it nearly was the previous afternoon.

So did Pitch.

"Jack, your body..." He let his voice trail off for a bit in favor of caressing the tiny pink nubs on Jack's chest and pulling such sweet little gasps and purrs and sounds from him that he had to yank his hands away for a moment so not to rush the moment – he wanted to take his time here, he could ravish himself with the youthful body in front of him later.

Now was different.

This was all for Jack. Every fleeting, teasing touch. Every sudden shudder of breath. Every heated gaze they dared to have between one another – all for him.

Pitch nervously licked his lips and squeezed the hardening nub, brushing right past the edge of himself when Jack let out a moan that doubled as a needy plea for more.

"Who but you could pull such _yearnings_ from me?" Pitch whispered closely as he pressed his lips to the top of Jack's head and tried to get a good look in his eyes to see those beautiful snowflake pupils he so admired but Jack's eyes were closed as he panted, more pleas for more leaving him in-between heated rushes of air.

"So...so beautiful. I could never..even dream.." Pitch slowly removes the sweatshirt and gazes longingly at the revealed chest, a carnal desire to simply ride Jack ragged arise inside of him. Lust hazardously peeking out behind his love.

He pulls himself from the edge of desire – with no little effort – knowing that if he lets himself go he may hurt Jack and their relationship. It's his first time and he wants it to be sweet and sensual, something to be remembered with fond memories, not something to be scared and traumatized about.

_'And that's what makes this frightening...'_ Pitch exhales and runs his hands up and down the unintentionally created soft curves. They remind him so fervently of a woman but undoubtedly his own Jack Frost's body – something he wished to possess and hold. Occasionally he runs his fingers against something harder though, something that reminds him why they are here in the first place.

He runs his fingers against the parts of Jack's chest that seemed to be nothing but skin and bone – and barely that at times. Beautiful smoothness changes into horridly sharp curves, reminding him that Jack was an abused child, not properly fed or raised by his pathetic excuses of what could be sparingly called 'Parents'.

He tries to stop himself from going down such a dark trail of thought. _'If it wasn't for them, you might not have met him.' _He tells himself but still can't find it in him to enjoy the fact.

Pushing past it he runs his gentle hands upwards, leaving the pleasurably tortured bright pink buds behind in favor of cupping the youth's face and he finds himself at last gazing into wide, blown pupils that have him coming close to losing control once again.

And then...the eyes seem to awaken and mark themselves with worry. Pitch frowns disapprovingly, then tries to seem as if he's done nothing. He doesn't want Jack to think that he can't back out if he doesn't want to – even if it does make him slightly upset.

"P-Pitch...I have to tell you something." Jack whispers quietly, moving his head opposite and refusing to let his eyes roll back into his head from the ghost-like contact of his lover's warm breath, rushing over his right shoulder. "I'm a virgin...you know that...so umm...I guess I'm asking you to be a little...gentle?"

Ahhh so that is where his worries lie...he's afraid of the pain.

"Don't be afraid Jack." His voice breathed out warm and reassuring words, reflecting his own burst of positivity. Jack wasn't backing out of this – he just didn't want it to hurt. "I would never intentionally harm you – I'll take my time." Pitch assures him quietly, now rubbing small circles into his hips with the very tips of his fingers, applying phantom touches to the sensitive thighs that twitch lightly in response.

"It's not that." Pitch reads his lips and face – watching every little movement that he can...and then he quickly laughs to himself. Jack was having trouble making words just from _this_. "I trust you beyond anything else...It's really the opposite." Jack leans his head back onto Pitch's left shoulder and turns towards the greyish neck with half lidded eyes, so unbelievably happy that it was finally about to happen. "I just...I've wanted you so bad, I've been so lonely sometimes you know?" He raises one hand and gently rubs two of his fingers against the bottom of Pitch's chin, smiling absent-mindedly as he thinks over the past few weeks.

Pitch decides not to open his mouth and respond _'It was the same here'_, wanting to stay as close to him as possible.

"The past decade has been so hard and you...you made it all better. I never...not before this-" Jack bites down on his lip and refuses to let himself speak, already feeling tears running down his cheek and Pitch beams knowingly, kissing his lips carefully before pulling his body forward into his with their skin at last touching.

"If you ever feel uncomfortable or threatened, just say the word and I'll stop." Pitch advises in a naturally calm voice – part of him feeling afraid that Jack would take that chance and tell him to stop, that he might feel afraid or embarrassed again and leave like last time.

The rest of him couldn't help but note how beautifully Jack's body looked in the early morning light that peeked through the window – a myriad of light, wintery blue against the snow white skin. It went so perfectly with the half-lidded and misty morning blue eyes.

Like it was just _meant _to be.

He swept down and snatched away a kiss, a quick peck that ended up deepening as Jack's arms circled around him and pulled him in, growing increasingly unwilling to let him go. Muffled rushes of hot breath left his mouth, accompanied by a twisting, wandering tongue and entered Jack's mouth.

They quickly separated, more by Jack's will then Pitch's – the younger man could only hold his breath for so long. Pitch took this moment to admire the swollen, saliva soaked lips that were practically pleading for more.

"You look good like this...panting and wanting..." Pitch spoke without realizing and then chuckled quietly to himself.

No one ever made him feel like Jack did, feel so out of control and _pleased _to be free of such self-enforced inhibitions. He felt like he could be just a little bit happier, a little more satisfied and perhaps even a little less stoic and quiet around him, especially now that Jack knew his story.

"Jack, have you ever thought about me?" He wonders aloud, hands gradually moving downwards and making the younger man shiver as if he was in the process of freezing solid despite the tense, tightly strung warmth that was beginning to blossom and overheat in the very pit of his stomach.

He let out a hot breath from the depths of his lungs and swore he could almost see it in the air. "Y-yes..." Jack responded nervously and tried to get a hold on himself. His body was crackling with energy and excitement and the tightness of his pants wasn't helping within the slightest.

"Tell me." A short and simple order that made Jack gape and let out a strange noise of worried, embarrassed panic. Pitch licked his lips – he clearly remembered the café bathroom stunt they pulled, he knew Jack wasn't _entirely_ innocent.

So whatever this was, it was something downright misbehaved.

"Oh don't worry..." Pitch dragged his nails teasingly down Jack's side before his fingers close in and wrap around the hem of his jeans. "I'll be gentle with you, regardless of what dirty little thoughts you've been thinking." The laugh that left him came out darker then he meant it to and he took a moment to pause and collect himself.

If he didn't reign himself in he might mistakenly hurt Jack.

_'You're not at the Belladonna. _Relax._'_ He exhaled heavily before pressing a calming kiss to Jack's shoulder to undo any damage his less then relaxing laugh had done. "Relax just a little bit..." He whispered into Jack's ear, trailing the shell with his tongue.

"I...I thought about..." Jack took a moment to bite down on his lip – he didn't want Pitch to know about the fact that he got off to gay blowjob porn while thinking about him. A mixture of fear from thinking about what could possibly go wrong if they tried it _now_ and embarrassment from the thought of Pitch just finding out about it formed an invisible gag in his mouth.

He didn't think it was fair for him to not reveal that much – at _least _that much – after Pitch had told him about Seraphina and his history but the words of 'Yeah I totally got off to thinking about what your dick would taste like just the other day!' wouldn't willingly escape his throat.

"I can't..." He surrendered to his embarrassment and laid still while he tried to swallow down the sizable amount of disappointment in himself. He wanted to be able to talk to Pitch more openly, like he could share absolutely anything with him. It was that way so far with Pitch to him after all – he wanted to reciprocate.

"I see." His voice held no condemnation or disapproval for Jack's lack of ability to talk about his sexual fantasies – it was understandable. He carefully fingered and pulled gently the hem of Jack's pants, wondering if now would be the right time to remove them and begin the main event of the early dawn.

He was a virgin. Sure, he was teasing and naughty at times but now that things were just a bit more serious between the both of them, especially now that they were alone, equally excited and in his bed. Jack's normally adorable and overly relied upon mask of heavy, overly self-confident bravado was malfunctioning here – _this _was more what Jack was like. Nervous, meek, quiet, needy and most of all_ sensitive._

The thought of how non-existent the boy's resistance to touch could be, how at the lightest of touches he could drive the little virgin boy absolutely _wild_. He wondered how much pressure he'd have to place and where he'd have to place it to drive Jack entirely insane with pleasure, have him screaming his name and bucking his hips up – or even better, thrusting them _back _onto Pitch for more inches, for more heat and passion...

Pitch couldn't help himself and let out another frighteningly deep chuckle, not realizing this time how far and how – Jack actually noticed this time and eyed him for a brief moment before relaxing himself again.

Pitch promised he wouldn't hurt him. He had to place his trust him here.

Besides, wasn't being _distrustful_ of his intentions towards him what ruined their moment the last time? A simple grab turned into a massive fight that nearly destroyed their relationship – no, this time he was going to put more trust in him.

Pitch decided that it was now or never, he placed his thumbs between the soft skin and the fabric and slowly slipped the jeans off the thin figure, revealing full black tented boxers. He licked his lips and held a back an obscene laugh in his throat at his Jack gasped from seeing the all too familiar flash of pink against gray.

He went slowly down, kissing the top of the sharp shape that Jack's erection made underneath the fabric and relishing the audible increase of breath above him – so _sensitive_ and just laid out for him and him alone. He glanced up, hungry for the sight of seeing Jack's face.

He met clouded eyes of shining frost and stared back into them with a grin of a phantom painted on his lips. His golden eyes twinkled with a level of mischief that Jack would usually hold before he descended again, hot mouth enclosing around the head of Jack's still hidden cock.

"Mmhh..." Jack moaned behind sealed lips and shifted. His hands slowly moved up the bedspread, weakly clinging to the comfortable blankets beneath him. He never felt any heat like this – nothing ever supplied or given to him by another person.

Pitch moaned from the taste of Jack's warm, hot leaking cock through the fabric and wanted to tear the boxer's from him and suck him off, rough and hard just to extract more needy reactions from Jack's throat.

He restrained himself and instead slipped the restricted erection through the opening of the fabric, fully admiring it as he rested his hands on Jack's hips. He gave it a hungry look before wrapping his left hand around the base and relishing in the moment, it was completely untouched by anyone other then himself...till now. Like this he could feel Jack pulsing and surging in his hand with sticky warm pre-cum dripping down the sides, dripping into his hands.

Jack – knowing he was being inspected – took in a dense, uneasy breath and pushed himself deeper into the bed, frightened of what Pitch might think of him or how incredible he would feel once they actually _began_. Even Jack knew that this, just _this_ was teasing before the 'main event' – it was foreplay.

Pitch began moving, placing his mouth over the leaking head and breathing heated air onto it before kissing it with delicate lips. He made sure to start stroking him in a slow rhythm and enjoy the moment when Jack's eyes widened from the shock of just _feeling,_ when his lips parted in delight. "Oh, Pitch..mmmmmore."

He gradually increased in speed, watching as a few drops of pre-cum became small pools of it gathering in his palm and becoming a makeshift lube that slicked his strokes.

Beneath him Jack was melting in overwhelming ecstasy, sweat dampened soft palms holding anything they could touch with a death-grip, upper body jerking this way and that trying to get more sensation and touch going between him and his teasing lover but nothing was giving way – Pitch wouldn't give him any purchase to get free.

His eyes shut tight and his teeth grit, breathing going ragged and labored as the knot in his stomach tightened, threatening to snap at any minute like a stretched out rubber-band reaching its limit. Every inhale and exhale became a hiss barely making its way through near-invisible gasps in his teeth, he couldn't take it anymore...

Heat rose higher and Jack _knew_ he was going to come if Pitch kept it up. He glanced down, meeting golden, watching eyes that observed every action and reaction they he took and seemed to almost shimmer with glee, laughing and taunting him._'Yes, I'm making you feel like this. I'm the one feeling your body with such pleasure.'_

Then all at once the wonderful warmth and strokes ceased and Pitch was like a shadow in the early morning room, surreptitiously repositioning himself around Jack in a phantom wave of movement. The young teen at first groaned at the loss of contact but then smiled and let himself sink back into Pitch as he was seated in his lap and the drawn-out, warming strokes continued.

Jack let out a heated pant as he felt as though the world was breaking down around him and all that was left was him and Pitch, melting in enjoyment from each other's bodies. His hands clung to the fabric of Pitch's black shirt and he twisted himself, not enough to slip from his lover's grasp but enough to press warm, loving kisses to his Adam's apple.

The huff of warmth that left his breath, the slight change in his breathing that signaled that Pitch was actually responding to his touch was intoxicating to Jack, addicting even. It made the bunching up feeling in the pit of his stomach even worse and he parted his lips and leaned further into Pitch's body.

Suddenly Jack fell over the edge – his vision clouded and turned white and his body shuddered out a thick, hard release into the gray palm that wrapped around his leaking cock. He tried to move upwards with the stroke but he couldn't since Pitch's free hand was keeping him held entirely in place.

His lungs seemed to empty themselves with a single rush of air and the few breaths he could steal in-between moans and calls of Pitch's name were accompanied by body shaking shudders. His hands clenched and unclenched around the thighs he was rested on and eyes screwed tight as the palm wrapped around his cock milked him empty of everything he had.

And then he was caressed, held by strong, familiar and caring arms that embraced and loved him, brought him back down from his sexual high and made his body rest as aftershocks of pleasure went through him and made his eyes flutter.

Jack lay even more relaxed against Pitch's body and let himself go boneless and limp against the older man while he recovered somewhat – still awake and wanting more but just as equally tired from such a long day of conflicting emotions.

After five minutes..."Pitch...can we um?..."

"My my..." Pitch remarked, lips brushing over the outer shell of Jack's left ear with heated breaths in-between words that Jack knew were just more teases to keep him on edge...and it was working. "A little glutton for it now aren't we?"

Normally he'd use his overly self confident charm to get out of this one but remembering the past few hours...what point was there in attempting to seem like someone he just wasn't in front of Pitch in such a passionate moment? He decided that honesty would be the best form of action here. "Uhh...yeah actually." A small, tired chuckle hooked to the end of that statement.

"No worries but your going to have to be a little patient with me." He smiled with nothing but dirty thoughts in mind while he unhooked his belt with his free, non-cum covered hand. Jack took the opportunity to rub his own ass against the crouch of Pitch's pants and made increasingly indecent noises at every movement against the hard tent located there.

Meanwhile Pitch groaned and allowed himself the pleasure of being more laggard then normal with his movements, permitting himself to watch Jack be adventurous and play around with his body for a while before he roughly yanked and tugged the extensively restricting article of clothing the rest of the way off and wrapped his hand around his own neglected erection, stroking and slicking himself up with Jack's essence, fingers and all.

On top of him Jack shivered with excitement and wait, his erection already returning and hardening in front of him – he had fantasized about this moment for so agonizingly long and now, _now_ it was finally happening.

Pitch was actually going to be inside of him. He was going to share his body with this man – something he never shared with anyone else, not his friends, not Jamie and not Mary.

He took a breath and felt a hand rub over the swell of his back then laggardly make its way upward, Pitch's hand drawing tiny, invisible circles in the skin that were only visible to his wandering, curious eyes.

Like this, in this position with Jack seated firmly in his lap he could see every breath and movement Jack made – he could tell straightaway whether or not he was comfortable, if he was in any form of physical pain and whether he should ever speed up his movements or slow down and let Jack catch his breath.

Now was just making sure he was ready. Pitch made sure that his fingers were slicked up enough to enter Jack, making sure that he had enough fluid on his palm and erection to minimize any pain that he may feel.

He deemed it enough and glanced at Jack – now all he had to worry about was making sure Jack didn't mistake any passionate grabs or feels for some sort of attack and making sure he held back enough of his dominating side to keep control, keep this moment between them tender.

When a wet finger pressed itself to Jack's entrance he gasped and moved his body forward, more out of pure shock then an actual want to move away. Pitch retracted almost immediately and ran a smooth hand up Jack's back.

"Are you alright?" A voice free of anger or judgment helped the lighten Jack's mood and ease his nerves.

"I'm fine...I think." He whispered and passively licked his lips, eyes focused completely on the bed as he remained frozen and tense, positioned on all fours. Powering past all his embarrassment and pride he figured that this was the position he was _supposed_ to be in to begin with and leaned forward more, sticking his ass out just a little further.

Pitch took a moderately faint breath and placed his fingers back against the puckered entrance, admiring at the slight way it tensed and squeezed when he brushed against it. "You've never masturbated using your own fingers have you?" It was more a declaration of obvious fact then anything else.

Jack stayed quiet out of his sheer embarrassment about having never done so. In his mind it combined with the knowledge that maybe he should have impaled himself on his own fingers so that this could be easier for Pitch.

"No worries." As if reading Jack's mind like an open book he comforted him, the finger now pressing lightly with almost unnoticeable force against the muscle. "It'll just take a tad longer is all..." His finger first started in tiny circles, massaging and loosening him up in a way that was almost relaxing and soothing. In-between brushes against the entrance Jack found himself taking breaths and having to force himself to stay grounded and not just float away to wherever his head would take him.

He blinked his eyed rapidly and forced himself to stay lucid, stay grounded in reality rather then dreams – his exhaustion making the thought of sleep increasingly welcoming and Pitch's skilled, experienced hands doing no service in keeping him awake. As he took a breath and tried to bring a single hand up to brush the hair out of his face a single, slender finger at last pushed its way through the ring of relaxed muscle.

Jack shoved himself into the bedspread, eyes shut tight and mouth open wide, moments from telling Pitch to stop. He'd never been entered into before and the shock of how strange and alien it felt got to him. He let out a whimpering whine of embarrassment into the bed as he felt Pitch's finger begin to penetrate him. Against his own will his body tensed from the intrusion, tightened around the digit inside of him – it didn't ache the flesh around it but it was something new, something_ different._

Pitch smiled and continued, moving his finger around inside the warm cavern, thoughts of practicing the deepest and most depraved of his sexual tendencies with Jack as his partner flooding through his mind as he watched his snow haired lover spasm even further forward into the bed, the intrusion gaining heated friction against him.

"Your clearly tense..." Jack's body wriggled like a worm trapped on a hook as he adjusted to being stretched open. Minutes pass like his own hot breaths until he finds that he doesn't feel it that much – it begins to actually feel like something akin to a warm stroke over his aching cock. His hands urge to lower themselves down his body, glide down over beads of trickling sweat and wrap themselves firmly around his member but he resists and keeps them planted on the bed, instead using them to push himself back up rather then finish himself off again.

He wants to get off with a much different part of Pitch buried inside of him and as a he thinks about how far stretched he would have to be to take him in – wonders thoughtfully of how thick and strong Pitch might be – a second finger pushes itself inside along the first. For the first time since it began Jack felt the beginning of actual pain.

Noticing the hitching of his breath and his face twisting into a visage of discomfort Pitch lowered his face down and left a phantom peck at the base of his spine – the effects were quick and perceptible. Jack's body relaxed, still unused to being entered by something thicker then just a single finger.

Taking great care as to not make his movements harsher then what they needed to be, Pitch pushed his fingers in deeper into the tight heat, up to the first knuckle. Golden eyes swept over the figure lightly as he tensed up more, unused to it...

'He'll adjust in time...' The digits moved again, pulling out and then replacing themselves. Pitch relaxed himself – hungry eyes staring down at Jack's ass like it was a four course meal, glazing over and enjoying every inch of it, relishing in the way it felt. He shut his eyes abruptly, breaking his gaze and holding back that forbidden side, just a little further before he began repeatedly fingering the tight opening, pushing in farther and deeper each time.

Kneeling beneath him Jack struggled to get a hold of himself and rest there in an unrestrained position – it all felt so fast and slippery, like time was running through his fingertips and the world was rushing right by him and he couldn't keep up – within just a few weeks he went from single adoptive older brother to dating, adoptive older brother in an extremely illegal relationship.

For a brief instant he let his mind wander past the on and off faint aching of his stretching insides and thought of what else could possibly change for them and between them, after tonight and in the future – then he found he just couldn't think.

Pitch's fingers swirled and moved near and against the untouched prostate and Jack gasped, throwing his head back and breathed out a curse from the surprise of being shaken from his thoughts. Above him Pitch hissed quietly through swearing teeth, the hand that had been comforting Jack's lower back now bring itself up over his own neglected, hardened dick that pulsed with a need to be attended to.

The muscles clenched against the fingers once more as they nearly pulled the whole of the way out before thrusting back in, hitting near that very same spot like a near-bull's eye. Jack cried out again, this time with a clearer voice that sounded through the room like a desperate plea, just as it was.

"_Please, Pitch!_" He whimpered and then, forgetting all of his recent past embarrassment and fright he shifted so that Pitch could easily enter him – kneeling his body forward onto his elbows and pushing his behind up into the air.

Something in him snapped, ungracefully and almost entirely without warning. Pitch quietly yanked down his pants further and got up on his knees, face displaying nothing but a raw sort of lust to thrust straight in and throw caution completely to the wind. He pulled his fingers out completely, much more shadier part of him that he almost forgot existed savoring the sound of Jack's wanting groan.

He positioned himself, his darkened head pressuring the closed opening – in the silence of the room he could hear Jack actually _panting_ like he was already on the verge of coming being ridden to insanity but a quick check of the location of his hands proved that he wasn't getting himself off, any and all sounds were just from pure anticipation alone.

With a smirk of puckish delectation, his tongue past over his lips as he gazed down and watched himself directly enter the entrance. He let his head roll back as he truly felt Jack's velvety insides wrapped entirely around his head, stretched almost to the limit.

Jack's hands clawed at the bed spread with fingers bent and crooked like eagle's talons. He opened his mouth wide to scream but instead bit into the bed – masking his voice in muffles while pain spiked through his body. 'Just, relax – just relax...' He repeated to himself, half muffled by the sheets. 'It'll get better.'

With his cock's prematurely weeping head fully entrapped in the dry, heated warmth of his younger lover's ass Pitch felt like he'd gone to heaven. With a small groan he pulled himself back just a fraction before letting himself naturally get sucked back in. The suction alone was enough to make him have to commit to his own control. Half-maddened with it he slowly rode and slid into Jack's aching behind, not quite hearing the painful groans with a conscious mind despite noticing that Jack wasn't _comfortable – _he _saw_ that Jack wasn't at his best right now, he just couldn't find it in him to completely stop because of it.

After what seemed like a torturous eternity of having to just barely fuck him Pitch finally fit a good portion of himself into Jack's body. He threw a curious, naughty gaze to Jack's ass and bit down on his bottom lip, quickly forcing himself to not-notice once again. Jack's body felt like it wanted to completely consume his member – sucking him in like it was actually hungry for him.

And who was he to not _sate_ that hunger? He pulled himself back once more only to let Jack suck him straight back in and for the first time he let an actual _moan _escape the depth of his throat- eyes threatening to roll back into his head as if he was moments away from fainting.

'God how long has it been since I had some damn good sex?' He wondered momentarily without really considering or bothering himself with answering the question, because in the end he knew it didn't matter – none of the past mattered right now...

All that mattered right now was Jack's magnificently warming ass practically sucking off his aching dick. In a blind moment of need to thrust haphazardly into the warmth, licking his lips and hissing all the while – taking in the delicious sight of Jack's back rising and falling with timid, quiet and swallow breaths as he kept being pushed back and forth over the line where pain became pleasure.

"P-pitch, fuck-" Jack's voice let him like an indoor yell, a note of agony tinting all signs of ecstasy and he felt Pitch's movement slow momentarily, the older man ceasing himself and realizing once again that not only _his_ pleasure mattered here.

'Damn it...' Pitch frowned inwardly and shut his eyes tight – the sight of Jack's body underneath him, free to be tortured with only half-teases and titillation or pleased and satisfied entirely by him was too much for him to bear. 'This isn't the Belladonna...' He instead aimed for Jack's prostate, changing his angle of entry and made sure to be gentler – keeping himself on a tight leash as he moved back in.

The difference was night and day with Jack gasping for breath within a few simple thrusts, every one ending in half-broken sounding of his older lover's name just barely escaping his mouth in-between thrusts. "Pi-pitch, hurry- it's- Pitch, _fuck_."

And with every yell of his name that he had obscenely cut short with the digging of his hips, Pitch felt himself grow closer and closer to his own orgasm – but he forced himself back and restricted himself from thrusting without abandon into Jack and instead wrapped his arms around the kneeling frame and pushed them both back until they were both sitting upwards – Pitch's hardened cock still buried knee-deep in Jack's tight orifice.

Now, instead of rubbing his hands over his back and behind, Pitch gently grabbed the sides of his waist – and made him bounce. Jack released lusty, deep noises from his throat that ranged from short, quick, impossibly hot pants to long drawn out sounds that made him sound like he was being tormented with the stimulation against that sensitive spot buried deep inside of him. All of them rang with that similar twang of pleasured and lazied happiness that gave a twitch to Pitch's cock.

Neither of them would last long like this, Pitch knew and he took the opportunity to suckle delightfully on Jack's neck – wanting to leave behind some type of mark to say 'Yes, this is _mine, _this fine beautiful little thing was claimed by me'. Jack turned his head away and lazily began to help Pitch fuck him, bouncing on his dick trying to get more of it buried inside of him.

"_Af-_Mmmm, _damn." _Jack let out a whine after a particularly good bounce with Pitch forcing him down at the same time that he let himself drop.

In a state of foggy pre-orgasmic bliss he leaned his head back to lie over Pitch's opposite shoulder, that familiar knot in his stomach loosening him until he bit down on his lip – behind him he could hear Pitch began a strangled cry. He parted his lips at once, already knowing that he probably didn't have to give a warning.

His body tightened like a vice around the aching, pulsing member buried inside of him, squeezing Pitch as he screamed and his voice blanked out and turned everything to white. He came, screaming his beloved's name all the while, his white essence smearing itself all over his chest – inside of him during the last few moments of his orgasm he could feel Pitch finally reach his own climax, spilling forth his seed directly into Jack's body.

He felt...dazed...like he couldn't think straight anymore. He let his head drop to the side and closed his eyes for half a second, a blink that lengthened...and then unintentionally evolved into sleep.

Hearing his light snores and frankly having pangs of exhaustion and soreness here and there from so much physical activity – 'No, really this time, _when_ was the last time I had some fucking incredible sex like this?' - Pitch allowed him to rest peacefully on this lap, still filled and holding his erection.

Only after a short moment of letting Jack enter deeper into his sleep did he place him on the side of the bed that closer to the door and then allow himself to rest opposite him, using his own hands as a makeshift pillow on top of his actual one.

'Well...today's gonna _suck_ for the both of us.' Pitch mentally whispered to himself in a self deprecating smirk that went unseen by the other sleeping occupant of the room. 'But I love you.' He turned himself, carefully as not to wake Jack from his dreaming, and spent the short amount of time left between now and whenever he would wake up to stare at him. "Good night." His voice carried with it a lighthearted mirth that he swore Jack dreamily responded to in a joyous smile. "I..." He came to a stop, rolling his tongue around in his mouth like his words were physical matter and could be found there before he took another deep breath of air and continued.

"I love you Jack."


End file.
